CAIRO – A delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has invited Egyptian companies to participate in the 110th Canton Fair to be held in China in October. "The Fair will be a good chance for Egyptian companies to have access not only to the Chinese market, but also to many other countries with companies participating in the China Import and Export Fair," said Wen Zhongliong, the director-general of the Foreign Trade Department at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Wen also referred to the increasing standard of living in China, which is helping many countries to market their products there. "The potential for Egyptian products is great," he stressed, adding that Chinese imports from Egypt from January to May 2011 were up by 177 per cent on the same period in 2009. Egypt is now China's fifth trade partner in Africa. In a meeting with the business community in Egypt, the Chinese delegation briefed it about the fair, adding that the Commercial Office in the Chinese Embassy here can provide Egyptian businessmen with more information. The China Import and Export Fair, China's largest trade fair, has been held in spring and autumn every year since the spring of 1957 in Canton (Guangzhou). An event of international importance, it has the largest assortment of products and the biggest attendance, and witnesses the most business deals of any Chinese trade fair.