BEIJING -- The 137th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is scheduled to take place from April 15 to May 5 in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, with some 31,000 participating firms, the China Foreign Trade Center said on Wednesday.

The total exhibition area will span 1.55 million square meters with about 74,000 booths, including nearly 73,000 for exports and about 1,600 for imports.

This fair will be divided into three phases: the first will focus on advanced manufacturing, the second on quality home furnishings, and the third on products that promote a better quality of life, involving 172 product zones.

The number of participating firms is up by nearly 900 compared with the previous fair.

For the first time, a special zone for service robots will be added in the first phase to focus on the latest achievements of China's AI development.

Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and has been hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.