The 15th China International Small and Medium Enterprise Fair will continue to promote deep cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in China and the rest of the world, officials announced at a news conference on Thursday.

Hosted by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Guangdong government, this year's fair will see 6,000 exhibition booths - more than 1,000 of which will be for overseas companies.

The fair is scheduled to be held from Oct 10 to 13 at the Poly World Trade Center Expo in Guangzhou, capital of the province in South China.

A variety of exclusive activities will be held during the event, including an SME summit, SME cross-border matchmaking, SME information forum and the 2018 Asia Pacific Information Communication Technology Alliance Competition.

A furniture exhibition and home appliances exhibition will also be held this year in conjunction with the 15th China International Small and Medium Enterprise Fair.

The furniture exhibition, which will run from July 9 to 12, will focus on intelligent manufacturing and businesses involved in the national Internet Plus strategy aimed at promoting the integration of internet technologies with traditional industries.

The home appliance exhibition, to be held from Aug 23 to 26, will focus on smart construction materials and home appliances, as well as energy conservation products and technologies.

The furniture and home appliance exhibition will both be held at Guangdong Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in the city of Foshan.

The United Arab Emirates and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization are the two co-hosts of this year's fair.

"It is the first time that CISMEF works with Middle Eastern countries under the Belt and Road Initiative," said Wang Jiangping, vice director of CISMEF Organizing Committee and vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"UAE is China's largest export market and the second largest trade partner among Arab countries. The fair will build a new cooperative platform for the SMEs of two sides to deepen economic and trade cooperation," Wang said.

Badir Al Musharrekh, commercial counselor of Commercial Office-China of Ministry of Economy, UAE, said, "SMEs are already playing a central role in UAE's drive toward cultivating a thriving private sector and diversified economy, which makes SME empowerment a strategic priority for the government."

The UAE will work closely with Chinese institutions and platforms, such as CISMEF, to assist SMEs to develop better, he added.