The 32nd East China Fair, which concluded on March 4 in Shanghai, has experienced a significant increase in international influence with cross-border e-commerce topping the list of interest for cooperation, according to its organizing committee.

The four-day exhibition, which covered an exhibition area of 126,500 square meters and held 5,720 standard booths, is the largest trade fair in China focusing on the textile, garment, and light industries.

Launched in 1991, the annual event has grown into a major trade fair in China second only to the Canton Fair in terms of international influence, said Shen Weihua, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce during a news conference recently. Some 3,422 exhibitors took part in this year's ECF, with 326 from 13 countries and regions, according to the organizing committee.

The fair also attracted more than 40,000 domestic and foreign purchasers from more than 110 countries and regions. Among them, buyers from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative increased by 43.9 percent compared with the previous session. Japanese buyers increased by 76.7 percent, while those from Europe and the United States increased by 67.3 percent.

Along with the significant increase in international buyers was a growing interest in cross-border e-commerce, for which the fair has set aside a special exhibition area, covering technical services, cross-border logistics, financial services, comprehensive services, marketing and promotion services, comprehensive bonded areas, and more fields.

A series of face-to-face meetings were held during the exhibition to facilitate in-depth matchmaking of supply and demand. About 1,280 rounds of negotiations took place during the four-day exhibition, which achieved $2.21 billion in intended orders, according to the organizing committee.