This year's Canton Fair will meet the challenges of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road by developing a more diversified trading platform for countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Asia and the Persian Gulf region.

Liu Jianjun, a spokesman for the international fair, which is known as the China Import and Export Fair, said the proposed trading link has already given impetus to upgrading the structure and content of trading.

It is anticipated that about 70,000 - or 35 percent of - exhibitors and buyers expected to attend the fair will come from these regions.