The 134th China Import and Export Fair

The 134th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is scheduled to take place in Guangzhou. This event brings together global merchants to write a new chapter under the theme of “Trade with the World, Benefit the World”. The fair area has expanded to 1.55 million square meters, with a total of 74,000 booths, an increase of nearly 4,600 from the previous one. There will be 28,533 participating companies, an increase of 3,135 from last time. Among them, 27,883 companies will exhibit at the export section, while 650 companies will participate in the import section.

Since its inception in 1957, the Fair has evolved over 67 years (held twice a year in spring and autumn), transforming from a window for China’s foreign trade to a platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and the rest of the world.

On April 25, 1957, the first  China Import and Export Fair, later renamed as the Canton Fair, was inaugurated. It was suggested by Premier Zhou Enlai to use the abbreviation “Canton Fair”.

The firstthe Canton Fair was successfully established and quickly became the main channel for China’s export earnings, opening up a gateway for China’s interaction with the world. It has also become a window for China to open up to the world, promote equal and mutually beneficial trade with other countries, and facilitate international trade.

The 134th the Canton Fair, held offline for the first time after the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is the autumn session of the fair. As the host province of the Canton Fair, Guangdong Province attaches great importance to the organization of this session. It actively cooperates with the Ministry of Commerce to innovate in organizing and hosting the event, considering it as an important measure to promote high-quality trade development and high-level opening-up of Guangdong.

Including the physic exhibition, there will be the first online exhibition this year. It’s wonderful to see how Guangdong is taking the initiative to adapt to new modes of foreign trade operations and actively utilize the Canton Fair’s online platform to showcase products. By engaging in pre-matchmaking with buyers before the exhibition and facilitating one-on-one meetings during the event, you are leveraging the power of the Canton Fair and integrating online and offline approaches to explore traditional and emerging markets, ultimately embracing new opportunities for development.

As the host city of the Canton Fair, Guangdong is committed to providing comprehensive support and services with the strong backing of central government departments like the Ministry of Commerce. With 28 optimization measures in six areas, Guangdong is fully dedicated to ensuring territorial security and providing excellent services. The province is working tirelessly to deliver outstanding service and support at every level.

Guangdong is actively mobilizing enterprises to participate in exhibitions and, at the same time, making every effort to secure orders. By convening provincial coordination meetings, it encourages enterprises to bring new and high-quality products to the Canton Fair, invite merchants for face-to-face negotiations, and carefully organize 36 trade promotion activities. It actively organizes enterprises to participate in global procurement promotion led by the Ministry of Commerce, dual-cycle promotion, and “Trade Bridge” activities to expand on-site transactions.

Guangdong is a major province for foreign trade, maintaining its position as the top province for imports and exports for 37 consecutive years. Ensuring the stability and improving the quality of foreign trade is crucial for Guangdong’s efforts to promote high-quality trade development. Despite the challenges posed by weak global economic recovery, sluggish overseas demand, and increased geopolitical uncertainties, Guangdong’s foreign trade has been resilient. It has achieved a turnaround in growth in the first eight months of this year and reached new historical highs in terms of import and export scale.

According to the data from the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, the total import and export value of Guangdong’s foreign trade for the first eight months of this year was 5.29 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 0.2%, achieving positive growth. Among them, exports reached 3.49 trillion yuan, with a growth of 4.3%. Behind these stable and positive numbers is the collective effort of the entire province of Guangdong to promote stable and high-quality foreign trade.

The Canton Fair, as it stands today, has evolved into a global event of utmost significance. Foreign government officials and traders who attend the fair each year highly value the opportunity to exhibit their products. The Canton Fair has transcended the realms of trade and commodity exchange, becoming an arena for showcasing new products and a grand stage for international cooperation.

The Canton Fair has gradually evolved into an important platform for China’s comprehensive opening up, promoting high-quality development of international trade, and facilitating the connection between domestic and international dual circulation.