GUANGZHOU, May 1 (Xinhua) — In a bustling booth at the Canton Fair, Nour Arfa works the camera, her voice switching fluidly between Arabic, French and Chinese.
The Tunisian livestreamer is on a mission: helping her online viewers in the Middle East and North Africa navigate one of China’s largest trade fairs without ever leaving their homes.
At the 139th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou in south China’s Guangdong Province, Arfa’s lens focuses on everything from sleek electric shavers to the latest air fryers.
“These well-designed products can help customers improve their quality of life,” Arfa said, noting a particular surge in demand for personal care gadgets as summer draws near.
The fair, which will run until May 5, arrives at a time of heightened regional uncertainty and economic volatility. Yet the appetite for “Made in China” remains robust.
For many overseas entrepreneurs, attending in person is challenging, affected by factors such as reduced international flight services, rising travel expenses and language barriers. That is where Arfa and her team step in. They act not just as presenters, but as “virtual eyes” for viewers watching from afar.
Arfa said this is her second time attending the Canton Fair. As a livestreaming guide, her job covers introducing goods, checking product quality and, sometimes, verifying the existence of a specific Chinese supplier.
“I have to give very detailed descriptions of the producers and products at the spot, including specific designs, structures and user experiences,” she said.
The trend is gaining official traction. This year, the fair organizers launched a dedicated livestreaming tour across the venue for the Middle East market. The initiative attracted 832,000 views and a large number of potential participants in five days.
Ahmed Sobhy, an Egyptian livestreamer at the Canton Fair, has adapted his strategy to beat the time difference. Instead of livestreaming, he mainly records product introduction videos for his audiences, highlighting details such as minimum order quantities, product functionality and warranty terms.
“As an agent for overseas customers, I often ask exhibitors a lot of questions to make sure the information I provide is accurate, so as to lay a solid foundation for future cooperation,” Sobhy said.
For exhibitors, the value is clear. “Some of our partners were unable to attend in person. Through livestream tours, they can still see new, trending products at the fair and plan for our future cooperation,” said a manager of the Zhongshan Yuehao Electric Appliance Co., Ltd.
This comes as China steps up efforts to promote more balanced development of imports and exports to optimize its trade structure and pursue high-quality growth. The country has placed promoting balanced import-export development as a key policy priority for the next five years, according to the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
Amid rising economic and trade cooperation between China and Arab countries, livestreamers at the Canton Fair are envisaging a more prosperous future for their careers.
Having succeeded in forging several trade partnerships, Arfa has secured a role as a company purchasing agent ahead of this year’s fair.
In addition to merchandise introductions, she and her team now also offer business negotiations, partner recommendations and other services to a range of overseas enterprises, channeling Chinese products to larger markets in the Middle East.
“Apart from doing business, livestreaming is also facilitating people-to-people exchanges across our cultures — and that is why I love this job,” Arfa said. ■