(Yicai Global) April 10 -- The Canton Fair will provide livestreaming services to exhibitors as China’s oldest and largest trade expo moves online this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a senior official announced today.

The bi-annual China Import and Export Fair has pushed back its Spring event to June from April and, for the first time in its 63-year history, it will be held online, the State Council, the country’s cabinet, said on April 8.

Instead of the heaving scenes of hundreds of thousands of visitors crowding around an endless range of products laid across an exhibition floor space of over one million square meters, all 25,000 exhibitors will now display their products online, Li Xingqian, director of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said at a news conference today.

Each exhibitor will be supplied with a live broadcast studio with 24-hour uninterrupted connectivity, he said. Merchants will be able to promote their products, negotiate with customers and sign deals with companies online. The booths will provide video playback on demand, video uploading, interactive communication, sharing and other functions, he added.

There also will be a cross-border e-commerce zone, Li said. A selection of cross-border e-market places will be asked to get more companies to participate in the trade fair through their platforms and thus expand the number of businesses that benefit from the expo.

The fair’s export exhibition area comprises 16 categories of products, which include electronic appliances, consumer goods, textiles, clothing as well as medicine and health care products. The import section has six categories, including electronic appliances, building materials and hardware, he said.

Editor: Kim Taylor