Exporters under cloud of weak demand

China's near-term trade outlook remains grim, if results from the just-ended fall session of the famed Canton Fair are any guide.

Transactions and the number of buyers at the country's largest trade event declined amid weak demand from traditional and emerging markets, organizers said.

Export transactions at the 116th China Import and Export Fair, which is seen as a barometer of China's trade trends, slid 6.1 percent from the spring session to 179.2 billion yuan ($29.16 billion), according to Liu Jianjun, the fair's spokesman.