GUANGZHOU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, Yang Jiexian, who has been doing business with African companies for decades and is often dubbed "Miss Africa" by her clients, managed to sustain the same affable ties with business partners in this year's Canton Fair.

The China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as Canton Fair, kicked off online on June 15 this year, a first for the decades-old trade fair in south China's Guangdong Province.

Yang, chairman of Guangzhou Light Holdings General Merchandise Imp.& Exp. Ltd., has participated in over 50 Canton Fairs. This year, her regular African clients virtually took part in the exhibition by joining the company's live streaming sessions, instead of coming to Guangdong.

This year's Canton Fair, which closed Thursday, had attracted around 25,000 enterprises in 16 categories with 1.8 million products.

"The number of African participants is increasing every year, and the fair provides a platform for networking with different suppliers," said Doucoure Abdoulaye, president of Mali Community in China.

Yang's parent company, Guangzhou Light Export Group Co., Ltd., has been conducting business with African countries since the 1960s. In the 1980s, the company's annual exports to the continent exceeded 150 million U.S. dollars.

"Over the four decades of China's reform and opening up, our company's business with Africa has grown rapidly, with total orders reaching 5 billion U.S. dollars," said Zhu Puzhen, general manager of the group company. "Besides, we have cemented a friendship with many African customers."

John Vedasto Rwehumbiza, president of the association of the Tanzanian community in China, said China and Tanzania enjoy a long-standing friendship and both sides share many common values.

"Tanzanian products such as cashew nuts, sesame seeds, cassava, and coffee continue to enter the Chinese market through Canton Fair," Rwehumbiza said. "We hope more Chinese can conduct business and travel to Africa, and maintain this friendly relationship."

Huo Jiangtao, deputy head of the Africa Guangdong Business Association, said, during this year's Canton Fair, the association has worked with over 20 African business associations and medium and small-sized enterprises to promote online shopping and match market demands.

The fair serves as a platform for China-Africa trade cooperation and moving it online amid the epidemic was an excellent decision, said William M. Akuma, president of the association of Cameroonian Community in China.

"In the first half of this year, despite the impact of the epidemic, our business with Africa remained stable," said Yang. "Through mutual support and cooperation, we can overcome the crisis and continue to foster China-Africa trade ties." Enditem

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