Export deals totaling over 12 bln USD inked in first phase of Canton Fair

BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Export deals worth 12.33 billion U.S. dollars were signed offline during the first phase of the 134th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), which concluded on Oct. 19, an official of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.

More than half of the export deals were from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries, MOC spokesperson Shu Jueting told a press conference.

As of Wednesday, more than 150,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions have attended the Canton Fair, already surpassing the total recorded at the fair's last session, Shu said.

Some 96,000 buyers were from BRI partner countries, accounting for 64.1 percent of relevant attendees, according to the spokesperson.

Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.