GUANGZHOU, Feb. 28 -- The time-honored China Import and Export Fair is scheduled to kick off its 133rd session on April 15 in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. The event will take place both offline and online.

Also known as the Canton Fair, the event has been held twice a year since 1957.

Chu Shijia, deputy director and secretary general of the fair and also head of the China Foreign Trade Center, said that the exhibition area would be expanded to 1.5 million square meters this year from previous 1.18 million square meters.

It is estimated that more than 30,000 Chinese and foreign enterprises will take part in the 133rd session. Participating Chinese enterprises include more than 5,000 leading manufacturing and high-tech enterprises of the country.

The Canton Fair, the event has been held twice a year since 1957 will feature three new exhibition areas for industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, and maternity, infant and children's products, as well as three new special zones focused on intelligent life, the sliver economy, and testing reagents and protective products, Chi said.

These new additions bring the number of exhibition areas to 54 and special zones to 159, Chu added.

With the additions of new exhibition areas and new special zones, as well as increase in import exhibitions, this year's Canton Fair is expected to share new development opportunities with the rest of the world, Chu said.

Enterprises from Germany, Spain, Italy, Türkiye, the Republic of Korea, India and Malaysia are expected to participate in the exhibition.

More activities such as international trade forums and trade promotions will also be held at the fair.