Foreign products on show for Chinese New Year shopping

Chinese calligraphy, meaning, "Grand gathering of New Year shopping". [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Foreign products are being promoted in the run up to the Spring Festival in Lanzhou city, Gansu province, with nearly 120 traders and producers exhibiting and selling their wares at the First Commodity Fair for Countries along the "One Belt and One Road" on Jan 28.

The participants from more than 20 countries including Iran, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Russia have brought around 2,000 products covering handmade crafts, food, fruit and makeup.

Lateef, a Pakistani trader said his products had attracted many Chinese customers on the first day of the fair saying business was affected by the lively atmosphere of Chinese Spring Festival.

Along with the commodities, foreign culture and tourism were also on show at the fair, with Shirazi Airlines from Iran promoting its route to Gansu and a Cameroon tambourine performance.

Both online and offline trading is available at the fair, with exhibitors and customers utilizing QR codes at the event held at the Gansu Convention and Exhibition Center.

The five-day exhibition is aimed at providing a communication platform for companies from Gansu and abroad as well as facilitating locals' New Year shopping, according to the Gansu Provincial Commerce Bureau.

"This fair is the warm-up activity of the 22th Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair to be held in July," said Yang Zhiwu, director of the bureau.

Gansu has stepped up cooperation with countries sitting along the ancient Silk Road trade route since the setting up of the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to official statistics, Gansu's trade volume has increased by 24.6 percent compared with last year, despite total amounts of imports and exports declining in 2015.

Edited by Owen Fishwick