The 95th China Export Commodities Fair (Canton fair), scheduled for April 15-30 this year, will have 27,000 booths, 9,000 more than the previous one.

Hu Chusheng, secretary-general of China Export Commodities Fair, said that the floor space for exhibition would be expanded to 240,000 square meters.

"The sustained fast economic development in China, especially the country's surging foreign trade expansion, has made the expansion necessary," said Hu, who is also director of China Foreign Trade Center.

There are over 300,000 companies and enterprises authorized to do foreign trade in China.

Manufactured goods, textile and garments, foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, as well as consumer commodities will be exhibited at the biannual fair.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2004)