This April 15, the biggest commercial festival in the world starts, the famous Canton Fairin the Chinese city of Guangzhou (https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en-US), the main showcase of products from the Asian giant to the world. In its 133rd edition (it has been held since 1957 and for some time now it has been held twice a year), will be the first to be held after the lifting of restrictions by Covid in China. Some 34,000 exhibitors are expected.

The mood, however, is not the most optimistic. According to a survey conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce among 20,000 exporters, the fall in demand from abroad is one of the main challenges they face this year.

One of the main reasons for the weakness in foreign demand for Chinese products is the trade war and political tensions between China and the United States. Chinese exports to the United States fell by 14.2% in January and 21.8% in February compared to the same month last year, and has fallen to third place as China's main market by value, surpassed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc and the European Union. In any case, total Chinese exports fell by 6.8% in the January-February period compared to the same two-month period in 2022.

Faced with this situation, Chinese authorities are deploying a variety of measures, such as the simplification of customs procedures, credit support for small exporters and tax refunds, as well as efforts to diversify their markets, with a special focus on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between the ten ASEAN member states and five states in Asia and Oceania with which ASEAN has free trade agreements.