The 105th China Import and Export Fair opened on Wednesday in this capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, with a backdrop of economic slowdown caused by the international financial turmoil, but it did not dampen confidence and hope among participants.

The eye-catching barometer of China's external trade, the biannual event, also known as Canton Fair, is to be held in three phases. The first will be held between April 15 and 19, the second from April 24 to 28, and the third from May 3 to 7.

The number of attendees is down to 22,104 -- 237 fewer than last year, partly because of the expanding economic downturn. The total included 8,000 buyers from 48 purchase teams.

Some 395 companies from 36 countries, including 12 from five less-developed countries, would be exhibited in the import section, the organizers said.

Despite the financial crisis, "we are still confident in our own brand. The customers we attracted over the past four years are loyal and reliable, and and orders from Europe remain stable," Fang Jiaqing, international sales manager with Zhongji Export LLC based in southwest China's Sichuan Province, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The company sells diving pumps and motors mainly to European nations, including Germany, Britain and Denmark. Fang said his company wanted to woo some clients from the Middle East at the fair.

John Zacharatos, a buyer from Panama said that the Canton Fair had provided his company with quite a few business opportunities over years. This time he came here to search for Chinese products of good quality and lower prices. His company's sales slid 30 percent last year. He said the company wanted to cut costs to offset losses.

Another purchaser, Adeleon from Mexico, said though the financial crisis had jolted the United States, he felt the Mexican economy was still in a stage of development and his company was expanding. He said he had seen information about the Canton Fair on the Internet, and hoped he could find good-quality but cheaper China-made electronics here.

Ningbo Aux Import and Export Co., Ltd. from east China's Zhejiang Province has expanded its booth at the fair by 50 square meters from the year-earlier level to 300 square meters, said the company's vice general manager, Cai Jingquan.