Phase 1 of the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) closed on the 19th. Xinhua reports that 189,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions attended, up 13.3% on the same phase of the previous session, which organizers call a record.
Xinhua reported on the 19th that Phase 1 of the 140th Canton Fair had closed, with 189,000 overseas buyers on site. They came from 214 countries and regions, 13.3% more than in the same phase last session, and organizers describe it as the highest ever for a first phase. This paper relays the figure as announced by organizers and has not independently verified it.
광고 문의 · 300×250This year's fair opened in Guangzhou on the 15th and runs in three phases through November 4, marking its 70th anniversary. Phase 1 was themed ‘advanced manufacturing’ and covered five sectors in 19 exhibition areas, including electronics and appliances, industrial automation, lighting and electrical equipment, hardware and tools, and new-energy vehicles. Xinhua said more than 12,000 companies took part, with over 25,000 booths across 520,000 square meters.
Deals and trends on the floor
21st Century Business Herald reported a number of large deals during Phase 1. According to the outlet, a Shaanxi coal-chemical trading firm signed a long-term synthetic ammonia export deal worth 2 billion yuan with a Romanian buyer, and a Ningbo hydraulic-motor maker received an intent to buy 2,000 units from new Brazilian buyers. The figures come from company accounts, and whether they will be fulfilled has not been confirmed.
The same report said products tailored to niche markets did well. A cargo electric scooter with a range of up to 70 km, priced 20-30% below conventional e-bikes, reportedly sold out quickly, and nearly 20% of exhibitors were said to have invested abroad, creating more than 200,000 local jobs. Repeat buyers who visit twice a year in search of new products were described as a source of large orders.
Organizers' assessment and what is next
At the opening, Xinhua said 64% of exhibitors use technologies such as the industrial internet and AI, and that new-product and green-product exhibitors, at 23.2% and 26%, were both record shares. The fair introduced 10 categories of productive services and 16 AI functions for the first time. Zhu Yong, head of the China Foreign Trade Center, said the center will work with exhibitors and buyers to uphold the multilateral trading system and build an open world economy.
Xinhua said the results show the resilience and vitality of China's foreign trade. Readers should note, however, that buyer headcount is separate from trade volume or contract value, and that many orders remain at the ‘intent to purchase’ stage. Phase 2, themed ‘quality home goods’, runs from the 23rd to the 27th.
