The overall plan for the 30th China East China Import and Export Commodity Fair (2020 Online) has been released. Originally scheduled for March in Shanghai, the 30th China Fair is now planned to be held online from June 1-5.

After three decades, this year's China Fair moves online due to the pandemic, yet it retains its familiar character while embracing innovation to stay current.

Building a "Cloud Exhibition" with New Technologies

In response to the current pandemic, the online China Fair leverages "Internet + innovative foreign trade services" to boost East China's foreign trade, helping exhibitors connect with buyers and discover new business opportunities without delay.

The online exhibition is hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Commerce, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, Anhui Provincial Department of Commerce, Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce, Jiangxi Provincial Department of Commerce, Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce, Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, and Ningbo Municipal Commission of Commerce, and organized by Donghao Lansheng Group Shanghai Foreign Trade & Business Exhibition Co., Ltd. The China Fair will offer online display, supply-demand matching, online search, online matchmaking, online contract signing, and online customer service, creating a comprehensive "cloud exhibition" that uses various new technologies to help enterprises expand marketing channels, secure orders, and facilitate transactions for global business.

From Postponement to a New Debut

The China Fair is renowned as a "barometer" of China's foreign trade, to some extent indicating the import and export trends for East China and the entire country throughout the year. The sudden COVID-19 outbreak made offline exhibitions impossible, and on February 1, the China Fair Council Office issued a notice postponing the 30th China Fair, originally scheduled for March 1-4, 2020.

It is reported that the online China Fair website will be available in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. In the English version of the "Online China Fair" section on the new official website, the "Export-to-Domestic Sales Zone" will use Chinese.

Buyer-seller matchmaking meetings have always been a highlight of the China Fair. The online exhibition will host four matchmaking sessions: June 1, 13:00-16:00, Japan and South Korea buyers session; June 2, 18:00-21:00, Europe and America buyers session; June 3, 13:00-16:00, Belt and Road buyers session; June 4, 13:00-16:00, pandemic prevention supplies session.

The 30th online China Fair will also feature three zones. First, a pandemic prevention supplies zone to help overseas buyers connect with Chinese manufacturers; second, an export-to-domestic sales zone, where supply information is posted online to help exhibitors sell surplus goods from foreign trade orders and ease inventory pressure; third, a cross-border e-commerce zone.

It is understood that the China Fair has become a valuable assistant for foreign trade export enterprises in brand building and innovative development. The first China Fair had an exhibition area of only 21,000 square meters, while the 29th reached 126,500 square meters; the number of booths grew from 1,900 initially to 5,868; and participating enterprises increased from 600 to 4,000.