An exhibition of the layout for the Guangzhou International Merchandise Exhibiting and Trading Center was held at the Baiyun International Convention Center on Wednesday. The major project is one of the city's key construction items of 2008, and among the top ten projects in the entire province.

The newly-built center will be located in south Guangzhou's Panyu District. Planned as an international sourcing platform, it will fill the gaps that remain in downtown Guangzhou's present wholesale markets. In addition, the new center and the Canton Fair exhibition complex will mutually complement one another for the convenience of traders in the near future.

The Guangzhou International Merchandise Exhibiting and Trading Center, with an investment of RMB 14.5 billion yuan (2,121 million USD), will be separated into three construction phases. The first phase is slated to open to the public in 2010, the same year as the launch of the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Five plans of layout for the Guangzhou International Merchandise Exhibiting and Trading Center