"Professional industrial exhibitions serve as an essential connection between the supply and demand sides in industrial and supply chains," said Chen Dexing, president of Wenzhou Kanger Crystallite Utensils Co Ltd, a Zhejiang province-based glass and ceramic ware manufacturer that employs more than 1,500 people.

"Most foreign customers prefer to see, touch and feel products before placing orders. Participating in trade shows will certainly help us get a clear picture of what consumers want and gain some insights in terms of product design and function," he said. "After all, not every export deal can be sealed via cross-border e-commerce channels."

Addressing problems

From a macroeconomic perspective, the momentum of growth in foreign trade at the start of this year was critical yet stagnant, as analysts and economists worried about the lack of orders generated by sluggish global growth.

The central government has repeatedly noted that foreign trade has diminished and has become more complicated. Experts said that some of the specific steps in the new policy document will not only help underpin this year's trade growth, but will also be conducive to improving China's foreign trade structure in the long run.

"For decades, foreign trade development has been one of the major driving forces behind China's growth. This year, with China's foreign trade growth currently evolving, the new guideline has addressed some of the most urgent, pressing issues to help foreign trade companies participating in and placing orders at trade exhibitions, to facilitate the exchange of cross-border business personnel," said Ma Hong, a professor of economics at the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University in Beijing, whose research interest focuses on trade and tariffs.