(Yicai) April 10 -- Nearly 170,000 international buyers have completed the pre-registration for this year's first round of the bi-annual Canton Fair, with their numbers expected to grow based on hotel and flight bookings in Guangzhou.

Those who have pre-registered for the 21-day Canton Fair, which will kick off on April 15, come from 210 countries and regions, Zhang Sihong, deputy director of the China Foreign Trade Center, the organizer of the event, said yesterday. Most buyers are from the industrial manufacturing, electronic appliances, lighting and electrical, fashion, and building materials and furniture sectors, Zhang added.

In addition, 223 of the world's top 250 retailers or large regional retailers have confirmed to attend, up 9.9 percent from a year ago, Zhang said. Participants include US' Walmart and Target, France's Carrefour and Adeo, UK's Tesco and Kingfisher, Germany's Metro and Reve, Japan's Nitori, and Chile's Cencosud, Zhang noted.

The number of international buyers at the Canton Fair highlights their trust in the global business community at the event and made-in-China, Zhang said, adding that it also shows that as all people yearn for a better life and pursue high-quality products and excellent prices, economic globalization has not changed.

The number of exhibitors at this year's Canton Fair will be around 31,000, exceeding 30,000 for the first time, Zhang pointed out. There are nearly 73,000 export and about 1,600 import booths, with 736 companies from 50 countries and regions taking part in the exhibition, almost the same as the previous session, Zhang said.

The Canton Fair will be held in three stages under the themes of "Advanced Manufacturing," "Quality Home," and "Better Life," with 172 product zones, including the first service robot and integrated housing areas, Zhang revealed.

China's foreign trade has faced significantly more risks and challenges, said Xiao Lu, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce's foreign trade department. However, thanks to the courage of firms to pioneer and innovate and the continuous support policies and measures, the country's foreign trade resilience has not declined, with imports and exports starting the year stably, Xiao added.

The potential of China as a super-large market is constantly being unleashed, and together with the continued efforts of stabilizing the economy and foreign trade policies, the fundamentals of the Chinese economy's stable, medium, and long-term development have not changed, Xiao said, adding that the country has the confidence to overcome various risks and challenges related to foreign trade.

China will firmly practice true multilateralism, safeguard the global trade order, work with more trading partners to achieve win-win results, and inject more stability into global trade growth, Xiao pointed out.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev