Canton Fair has attracted 480 firms from 57 countries and regions, offering business people an opportunity to purchase colorful commodities worldwide.

Chinese products are favored by global buyers at the major import and export fair in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, despite a few product recalls of Chinese products since this summer.

Export transactions at the first phase of the autumn session of the Canton Fair, ending on Saturday, soared to US$24.97 billion, up 12.5 percent over the last Autumn fair. The number of overseas buyers reached more than 123,000, up 1.3 percent.

"Thousands of people are basically here for Chinese goods. They are not looking for foreign goods," said Steve Barek, President and CEO of the Florida-based Microflock Textile Group Corporation.

Barek said he plans to increase procurement by about 50 percent at the fair.

To restore confidence in the Chinese-made products, the country has staged a slew of measures, including introducing recall systems, a four-month nationwide product quality campaign and offering intensive training courses to domestic manufacturers.

Cristina Goereescci, representative of the Romania Flyfish Sanitary Ware, said compared to goods in Romania, Chinese goods are usually available with the same quality but lower prices.

"These days we visited many Chinese factories. Their production ability is approaching European standards," said Rainer Muller from the German trade company Modena GmbH.

"We think that they have good quality. Now we buy more and more goods from China, such as refrigerator, microwave oven, dish-washer." he said.

Israel businessman Eli Tubul said at the country's largest trade fair currently held in Guangzhou that he is not only interested in Chinese goods.

"I also want to buy goods by non-Chinese producers since there are so many imported products on display," he said.

"We have prepared abundant high-quality products for the booming Chinese market," said Harvey Dubrofsky, president of Canada's household utensil firm Dusco.

Not far from his booth was a household electric appliance company from Italy, surrounded by a flock of gabbling visitors.

Giovanni Crialesi, manager of the Italian firm, said the Chinese, especially those living in big cities, are buying more expensive kitten utensils, so they may also need stoves, ovens of European style.

Besides Chinese consumers, the 200,000 buyers from all over the world also gathered here, providing an enormous business chance for us, Dubrofsky said.

During the fair, Dubrofsky have talked with a dozen clients from China, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia who showed interest in his product.

The fair has helped the company attract more clients worldwide to grab a share of the vast international market, he said.

To attract more business people from less developed countries in Asia and Africa, the fair organizer offered them favorable policies, such as discounted or free renting fee for exhibition boothes.

Formerly known as the Canton Fair, the country's oldest trade fair officially changed its name to the China Import and Export Commodities Fair earlier this year.

It was seen as a move to show the world China's efforts to increase imports and reduce trade surplus, which has triggered trade disputes with other countries.

After the Canton Fair added an import section to its exhibition, other major trade fairs, including the China International Fair for Investment and Trade and the China Hi-tech Fair, followed suit.

Editor: Yan