(Yicai Global) Oct. 15 -- Purchasers from more than 210 countries and regions are taking part in this autumn's China Import and Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair, according to the event's spokesman.

The latest event, which kicked off today and runs through Nov. 4, is targeting countries along the Belt and Road route, Xu Bing said at a press briefing yesterday. Such regions made up 45 percent of all buyers and they represented 30 percent of transactions at spring fair, he added.

The Belt and Road is a multi-decade trade and infrastructure plan devised by Chinese President Xi Jinping. It spans roads, rails, pipes and waterways spanning most of the world's continents.

The autumn 2019 Canton Fair is the event's 126th rendition. It spans nearly 1.2 million square meters, hosting 60,676 booths and 25,642 exhibitors from China and overseas. Some 85.6 percent of the domestic firms are private companies, a 1.3 percentage point rise from the spring event.

Established in the spring of 1957, the Canton Fair is China's oldest and best-known international trade event, selling the broadest variety of goods and attracting more visitors than any other national exhibition. It is widely viewed as a barometer of China's foreign trade.

Editor: James Boynton