Visitors check out a treadmill on display at the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. [Photo by Song Jinyu/For China Daily]

A total of 579 companies from Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province are attending the ongoing biannual China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.

Internationally known as the Canton Fair, the event has long been regarded as a barometer for China's overall trade performance.

This year, the fair, which is slated to run until Dec 4, has more than 60,000 booths and covers an area of 1,185,000 square meters.

Taizhou has a total of 1,687 booths with 702 homegrown brands showcasing products such as smart toilets, e-bikes, molds and plastics.

Taizhou’s foreign trade has maintained stable growth despite a complex global economic landscape, said an official from the Taizhou municipal bureau of commerce.

Official data shows that the city's import and export volume stood at 113.28 billion yuan ($16.9 billion) from January to August, an increase of 2.1 percent year-on-year. Exports accounted for the vast majority of that number, amounting to 104.37 billion yuan.

The Canton Fair is a major platform for local businesses to further expand their presence overseas, the official said.