Slowing sales offset by quality

Chinese manufacturers and exporters swear by innovation, R&D to overcome weak demand

Only 88,998 overseas buyers visited the autumn session of the biannual Canton Fair in the first three days, down 4 percent year-on-year. And that is not a good sign, aver the organizers of China's largest trade event, formally known as the China Import and Export Fair.

For, it could herald a grim time for thousands of Chinese exporters in the months to come. The Canton Fair, which opened on Oct 15 in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, and will close on Nov 5, is seen as a barometer of China's foreign trade.