The seventh china International Small and Medium-sized Fair (CISMEF) will be staged from September 15 to 18 in GuangZhou. A record number of overseas businesses have expressed interest in the fair. By July 30, overseas businesses have reserved 1,512 booths at the fair, 50 percent more than last year.

Australia will be the principal foreign nation featured at the upcoming event, and more than 300 Australian SMEs have confirmed their intent to participate in the fair.

According to Australian organisers, the China-Australia SME Fair is the largest trade event hosted by the Australian government abroad.

China is Australia’s largest trade partner, while Guangdong, among all chinese provinces, has the largest trade volume and the most extensive economic ties with Australia. Statistics show that bilateral trade between China and Australia in 2009 amounted to RMB 527 billion, while trade between Guangdong and Australia topped RMB 56 billion, accounting for 20 percent of the total trade between China and Australia.

Although Australia is rich in resources, the Australian government is seeking closer economic ties with China for SMEs in the food, wine, retail, service, clean energy and green building industries, in the hope of bringing China-Austria economic partnership to a new height.