Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong, is attracting global attention as an international fair for small and medium-sized enterprises opens on Saturday.

The 12th China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair was organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the governments of Guangdong and Malaysia.

Themed "Intelligent Wisdom & Energy Conservation", the fair will include four exhibitions: overseas and domestic exhibitions from Oct 10 to 13; an intelligent manufacturing and equipment exhibition from Oct 15 to 18; a smart building materials and home decoration fair from Oct 23 to 26; and a textile and apparel exhibition from Nov 1 to 4. The four will showcase the latest products, technologies and services from SMEs from both China and abroad.

The fair will take place in two venues, the city's Poly World Trade Center Expo and the International Sourcing Center, to cover a combined area of 110,000 square meters. Five thousand international-standard booths are available to domestic and overseas exhibitors and about 20,000 sq m of exhibition space will be provided to foreign SMEs.

More than 3,000 companies from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and about 20 foreign countries are expected to display their products and services during the event.

Forums and seminars will be held during the fair to discuss the Made in China 2025 national strategy, the Internet Plus action plan, mass entrepreneurship and innovation to provide guidance for domestic SMEs.

One such forum, an information technology forum to be held on Monday, is designed to promote the integration of Internet technologies and traditional industries, and encourage information service providers to further support SMEs in product innovation, management, marketing and logistics through cloud computing, big data and mobile Internet technologies.

Foreign SMEs will host a series of promotions and business matchmaking events. Companies from Poland, for instance, will promote the country's dairy, cosmetic and craftsman industries.

Malaysia, as the co-host of this year's fair, has about 150 SMEs participating in industries such as food, clothing, daily necessities and medicines. They will set up a "food street" at their exhibition area to provide local snacks.

Important partner

Malaysia is an important partner helping China build its proposed 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Belt and Road Initiative China proposed in 2013 will promote further cooperation between the two countries in fields of clothing, textiles, finance, education, integrated circuits and plastic products.

The two nations have close ties in economy and trade. China has become the biggest trade partner for Malaysia since 2008, and Malaysia is also China's largest trade partner in Southeast Asia.

"The China International SME Fair is an excellent platform for Malaysian companies to promote their products. The Belt and Road Initiative has received positive reactions from Malaysian society, and we will work together to develop the maritime Silk Road to help realize the goal of reaching $160 billion in China-Malaysia trade in 2017," said Bong Hon Liong, president of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce.

According to China's State Council, which has issued a series of guidelines starting in 2009 to improve the business environment for SMEs, SMEs are vital for the national economy and social development. Promoting their development, it said, is an important foundation for maintaining steady economic development.

This year, many government agencies have launched preferential policies for SMEs in financing, taxation and applications for national financial support.

For example, SMEs have fewer restrictions to apply for this year's special funds in the development of the cultural industry, according to the Ministry of Finance. The State Council recently set up a special fund of 40 billion yuan ($6.3 billion) to support innovative startups.

"Hosting the China International SME Fair is an important approach to help companies deal with problems and difficulties during their globalization process," said Zhou Jian, an oficial at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. "The fair not only helps Chinese SMEs tap into international markets, but also help their foreign counterparts enter China to seek new business opportunities."

In an effort to promote its Belt and Road Initiative, China will raise its level of opening-up by increasing fiscal and taxation supports, improving service systems for SMEs and speed up the construction of free trade zones, he added.

Starting from 2004, the fair has been annually held in Guangzhou and is now the largest international fair in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as an exchange and cooperation platform for Chinese and foreign SMEs.

From its second year, the fair began to invite foreign governments or organizations each year to co-host the event. About 13 countries and organizations have been invited, including France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the UN office for South-South Cooperation.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/10/2015 page9)