“Guangdong is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in China, so the Canton Fair is very important for us and we’ll continue to attend it,” he said while talking on the sideline of the fair. 

The 130th China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, was held both online and offline last week for the first time as the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the events industry. 

Diyar Khan noted that the online Canton Fair was quite innovative and it would become an efficient way to boost international trade during the pandemic era. 

“We actively promote the online Canton Fair through Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce and Chamber of Commerce,” he added. 

Some traditionally face-to-face communication has shifted to a screen-to-screen one. The five-day-long event has attracted about 8,000 enterprises that have set up nearly 20,000 booths. 

“We look forward to exploring more in Pakistan,” said international traders attending the 130th China Import and Export Fair held in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. 

Some merchants admit that the pandemic did affect the trade between China and Pakistan. Jiangyin Well-Faith International Business Co., Ltd. told China Economic Net that there were many Pakistani buyers attending the Canton Fair before the pandemic, but “only a few can be seen this year.” 

“Back in 2018 we could ship 1.2 million solar powered fans to Pakistan. But the sales volume declined then due to the pandemic,” noted Ms Liang from Foshan Carro Electrical Co., Ltd., one of the leading manufacturers and exporters in offering smart ceiling fan and lighting in China. 

She added that right now they only shipped 1 or 2 containers of fans to Pakistan per month, with 4,500 fans in each container. 

Tomlinson Tu, sales manager of Chongqing Xinguizun Motorcycle Co., Ltd., used to ship to Pakistan motorcycle accessories, is now seeking to co-work with Pakistanis friends to build their own brand and sales model in the country.