SARS keeps businessmen away from China export fair

SARS keeps businessmen away from China export fair

Agence France-Presse, Beijing

China's largest export fair in the southern city of Guangzhou has attracted only a small number of business representatives compared to last year with most staying away because of SARS.

The China Export Commodities Fair, which runs from April 15 to 30, has seen just 7,677 representatives from various countries so far, compared with a total 135,482 at the previous fair, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The news agency quoted fair spokesman Xu Bing as saying the huge drop in attendance and transaction values was mainly due to the negative impacts from the Iraq war and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which is believed to have originated in Guangdong province where Guangzhou is located.

Xu said that as of Wednesday, the value of export transactions signed at the fair reached US$334.7 million, with machinery, electronics, agricultural, textile and garment products accounting for 89 percent of the total.

The fair has been put on twice a year since 1957 and usually generates a significant volume of export orders.

At the last fair, held in October, total trade volume reached $18.47 billion.

Last spring's fair was attended by 120,576 buyers and visitors, with total trade volume at $16.85 billion.

The combined volume of export orders from the two fairs amounted to 10.8 percent of China's total exports for last year.

China has officially reported 66 deaths and more than 1,400 cases of SARS nationwide.

World Health Organization experts on Wednesday suggested the figures could be much higher.

Since it was first detected in Guangdong in November, the disease has spread worldwide, killing more than 160 people and infecting over 3,500.