1.8% export rise in first phase of Canton fair

China reported US$25.43 billion worth of export deals during the first session of the 103rd China Import and Export Fair ended on Sunday, up 1.8% from the previous session, said Xu Bin, spokesman of the fair.

Up to Apr. 20, attendants from 210 countries and areas reached 128,155, up 4.1% from the previous fair.

The most active business deals featuring mechanical and electrical products amounted to US$16 billion, accounting for 62.9% of all contracts.

Private companies played a leading role in securing business deals. The turnover reached US$15.72 billion, while that of state-owned enterprises and overseas-financed ventures was US$6.47 billion and US$3.24 billion respectively.

Meanwhile, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. remained the top three buyers at the fair, with the turnover totaling US$ 7.62 billion(accounting for 30%), US$3.66 billion (accounting for14.4%)and US$3.34 billion(accounting for 13.1%) respectively, which is considered as a "weather vane" for conditions in China's foreign trade, according to sources.