(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

A delegation of 105 members from 63 enterprises in Nantong arrived in Tokyo on December 6 for Asia Fashion Fair 2022, the largest trade group the city has sent abroad since COVID-19 outbreak.

Japan is an important market for Nantong's foreign trade companies. The AFF, founded in 2003, is the biggest OEM and ODM expo for textiles and clothing in Japan. The 3-day fair attracted 435 exhibitors and 527 booths, close to the pre-epidemic level. Exhibitors from Nantong showed various product classifications including garments, fabrics, home textiles and accessories.

Nantong's enterprises always value such onsite exhibitions to explore international market, an effort supported by the city's special measures amid COVID-19 outbreaks. Since November, the city's Bureau of Commerce has organized enterprises to participate in exhibitions such as the ISPO Munich, the largest trade fair for the sports business, and the Australia-China Textile and Apparel Expo.

The city's commerce and finance bureaus jointly released a catalogue of key international exhibitions at home and abroad in 2023, and will make it a priority to be present in such fairs.