This year’s China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, will break records with 179 specialized exhibition areas, including nine new zones for smart wearables, display technology, consumer drones and other emerging sectors, a commerce official said Friday.

The 139th edition of the fair will run from April 15 to May 5 in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

Officials said the event will set records in exhibition area, booth numbers and participating firms. The fair will cover 1.55 million square meters, about the size of 217 soccer fields, house 75,700 booths and host more than 32,000 companies, including about 3,900 making their debut.

Wang Zhihua, director general of the Department of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, said preparations are nearly complete and emphasized the fair's expanded scope and technological edge. He noted that this year's edition will not only break records in scale but also showcase China’s push into emerging industries and digital innovation.

"This year's Canton Fair will expand to 179 specialized exhibition areas, including nine newly added ones for smart wearables, display technology, consumer drones, integrated housing products and garden facilities. The number of high-quality enterprises that use specialized and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products and that feature single-product champions will exceed 11,000, representing a 5.1 percent increase and surpassing previous years. Among these enterprises, 61 percent have applied new technologies and models such as the industrial internet, artificial intelligence, 5G, and green and low-carbon technologies in their production or services," he said.

Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is China's longest-running comprehensive trade event and a barometer of the country’s foreign trade. It has been held 138 times, helping forge ties with more than 229 countries and regions worldwide.