An online aquatic product trade fair is launched in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on July 27. [Photo/zhoushan.cn] 

An online aquatic product trade fair was launched in Zhoushan on July 27, according to local media reports.

The four-day event will see 33 local aquatic enterprises with export certifications showcase products and conduct business negotiations with buyers from European countries. 

A head official from the Zhoushan municipal bureau of commerce said that the fair is the first in a series of online fairs that the city will hold in the coming days to strengthen domestic and overseas business ties and facilitate stable economic recovery and development amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zhejiang Haishide Food Co Ltd, an exhibitor, will display frozen aquatic products such as octopus and squid tailored to the tastes of European customers.

Chen Yi, manager of the foreign trade department at the company, said that the online platform set up by the government will bring new opportunities to aquatic enterprises and help them explore new markets. 

Zhoushan is now home to more than 350 aquatic enterprises, of which 120 have obtained export qualifications and 113 are above the designated size.

The European Union is the largest export destination for aquatic products from the city. In 2019, exports of aquatic products from Zhoushan to the EU stood at about 68,800 tons, with a total value of nearly $290 million.

Affected by the pandemic, the city's aquatic product exports to the EU in the first half of this year fell to $100 million, down by about 20 percent year-on-year.

Industry insiders are pinning high hopes on the online marketplace.

Cui He, president of the China aquatic products circulation and processing association, said that this is a good opportunity to promote, publicize and display aquatic products, which can effectively match the supply and demand sides and reduce costs. 

Victoria Braathen, director of the Norwegian Seafood Council for the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, said: "The online trade fair is a good way to start the second half of the year. 

Following the event with a focus on the EU, similar events targeting Asia countries and Russia will soon be launched to stabilize the city's aquatic product exports.