Canton Fair Shattering Records, Online and In Person

GUANGZHOU — Launched in 1957 and held twice yearly, the Canton Fair, also known as the China Import and Export Fair, is a major gauge of China’s foreign trade — and it’s clear that trade is booming.

The fair is being held at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou in three phases between October 15 and November 4. The industries represented span a wide range of products, from electronics and appliances, to manufacturing, to hardware, housewares and home furnishings.

The numbers for this edition of the Fair are huge: 55 exhibition areas covering 1.55 million square meters, 11,165 exhibiting companies, 390,000 digital and smart products being showcased, and 130,000 overseas buyers from 211 countries and regions — a 4.6% increase from the last Fair.

What’s also impressive is the growth of the event, with the number of products skyrocketing 300% from the 135th Canton Fair, and the number of green and low-carbon products up 130% from the previous event. There will be 400 new product launches, up by more than 30% from the previous Fair.

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In addition to the live event, this version of the Fair will promote brands globally through dedicated product launches and live streaming. Exhibitors also post their products online, and have uploaded 800,000 items for display, and the virtual product showcase has attracted 343,000 users.

A Fair highlight is the International Pavilion, which this year hosted a trade matchmaking event for the first time. Ten exhibitors from various countries, including Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Egypt, were invited to showcase their products to 85 Chinese domestic buyers, who visited the exhibitors’ booths to view the products and arrange for purchase on site.

The strong performance of the Canton Fair is proof that the demand for Chinese products remains strong worldwide, He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times. “The growing number of international buyers at the Canton Fair shows that China’s economy has become deeply integrated with the global economy, and its exports remain competitive,” he said.

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