The 112th session of the Canton Fair (October 15-November 4), China's largest trade fair, witnessed a decline in both participants and turnover.

A total of 188,145 overseas participants from 211 countries and regions signed up to attend the fair, 10.26 percent lower than the last session in the spring, and 10.5 percent lower from the corresponding period last year, said Liu Jianjun, spokesman of the event.

The fair has also seen a fall in its turnover—$32.68 billion—a 9.3-percent decrease compared to the spring session.

Orders from European countries and Japan dropped considerably, while those from emerging markets showed minor declines.

"The double declines have shown China's severe situation in foreign trade," said Liu. "But the good news is that some Chinese enterprises have shown their competitiveness through brand building and innovation."