BEIJING — The 16th China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair (CISMEF) will be held in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, in June, an official said on May 20.

As of May 20, 31 countries and regions as well as international organizations had confirmed their participation in the fair, slated for June 24-27, Wang Jiangping, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at a news conference.

To better serve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this year’s CISMEF will feature new sections for targeted business negotiations and innovation services promotion, according to Wang.

Themed “Intelligence, Wisdom, Smart Manufacturing and Energy Conservation,” the fair will showcase new technologies in fields including big data, industrial internet and smart manufacturing, encouraging SMEs to seek new opportunities in integrated development, Wang said.

Wang added that an online exhibition platform for this year’s fair would be put into use, and more efforts are being made to realize online transactions in the future.

Launched by the Chinese government in 2004 to promote SMEs’ development, the fair aims to enhance exchanges and cooperation between Chinese SMEs and their foreign counterparts.