Yangjiang, a major knives and scissors production base in China, expects its products to take a bridge role in promoting Sino-foreign cooperation in the months to come.

As a coastal city in the western part of Guangdong province, Yangjiang will improve its high-level opening-up system and mechanism to promote high-quality development and achieve new leaps in its comprehensive strength, according to Yu Jinfu, deputy Party chief and mayor of Yangjiang.

Yu made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 23rd China (Yangjiang) International Hardware Knives and Scissors Fair, which kicked off on Friday with the theme of "developing new quality productive forces to jointly promote the industry's new leaps".

Aiming to advance global exchange and cooperation in the industry, the fair is one of the most influential professional exhibitions in Guangdong and the largest trade event of its kind in the country.

The four-day event covers an exhibition floor space of more than 20,000 square meters, with 566 booths for participants from around the world.

China's major knife and scissors makers, including Shibazi, Zhangxiaoquan and Wangmazi, all set booths at the fair to boost their brands and seek new domestic and overseas partnerships.

Yu said that Yangjiang's hardware, knife and scissors industry has witnessed rapid development in recent years.

Known as the "capital of knives and scissors", Yangjiang boasts a history of more than 1,400 years in the industry and has formed a large-scale industrial cluster with a complete industrial chain and diverse product supplies.

According to official statistics, Yangjiang boasts more than 5,000 products in the hardware, knives and scissors category, reaching a production value of more than 55 billion yuan ($7.86 billion), accounting for more than 75 percent of China's total production and 85 percent of the country's exports in the industry.

The city's products are now sold to more than 130 countries and regions worldwide.