China Retail Expo: 17th edition of event in south China's Guangzhou pushes for more trade, digitalization

Commercial cold chain products, robots and retail goods are now on display at the seventeenth China Retail Expo in Guangzhou. Domestic manufacturers are looking to connect with overseas buyers, and international participants are looking for cutting-edge products. CGTN's Omar Khan reports.

This year's event is themed "Achieving Commercial Value in High Quality" – a timely event for China, as retail sales in April were up 2.3 percent year on year. That's led organizers to push for more trade and digitalization.

ZHANG ZHIGANG Former President, China General Chamber of Commerce "Last year, live streaming sales not only solved the employment problem of millions of people, but also spread to Southeast Asia and other regions. Meanwhile, the popularity of mobile payments in China has brought great convenience to consumers and has also created huge space for the promotion of digital currencies. The super large scale Chinese market provides a consumer space for various high-tech industries around the world. It's also the birthplace of various high-tech industries, and the cradle of new things constantly emerging towards the future."

Foreign buyers are not only here to seek out potential business partnerships, but are also getting exposure to China's latest products and innovation.

As for domestic retailers, this expo, similar to others held across the country every year, serves as a steppingstone into markets around the world.