A Kingdomwide campaign was launched in Jeddah for Canton Fair, China’s import and export fair, in the presence of China’s Consul General An Waer and Commercial Counselor Wei.

This was done in an effort to attract increased participation in its 117th edition, which is scheduled from April 15 to May 5. More than 2,522 Saudi businessmen attended the 116th edition of Canton Fair last year.

Waer said: "Saudi Arabia remains the largest and the most important trading partner of China in the Middle East. Our bilateral cooperation has witnessed rapid progress in the fields of economy, trade and energy.”

Liu Jianjun, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Trade Center, said the Canton Fair has become one of the most important events for Saudi businessmen.

Canton Fair is considered the world's largest and most widely known fair in terms of exhibits and visitor numbers since its inception in 1957, he added.

The fair is held twice a year in Canton city, north China. The 1170,000 sqm exhibition space displays nearly 150,000 products at competitive prices. Canton Fair is not only comprehensive but also specialized, he added.

In its 116th edition last October, 186,000 businessmen attended from 211 different countries, thus indicating its commercial significance and contribution to global trading.

Wei stated: "Diplomatic relations between China and Saudi Arabia were established in 1990. While China has been exporting its variety of goods and services to Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom is exporting oil to meet our needs.”