From October 15 to November 4, the 136th China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, is being held in Guangzhou in three phases. The bustling Pazhou International Convention and Exhibition Center is filled with crowds, as thousands of foreign buyers flock to the venue daily. Amidst the dense array of booths, exhibitors and buyers engage in friendly discussions, forging cooperative trade relationships.
With a history spanning 68 years, the Canton Fair is often described as a “barometer” and “wind vane” for China’s foreign trade. The first phase, themed around “Advanced Manufacturing,” concluded on October 19, yielding impressive results. The second phase, focusing on “Quality Home Goods,” is set to take place from October 23 to 27.
The Canton Fair serves as a window to showcase new products, seek business opportunities, and gain insights into new trends, offering a glimpse into the new dynamics and developments shaping China’s foreign trade.
One buyer shared, “Every time I step into the Canton Fair, it feels like I’m unlocking the door to a new world. There’s such a variety of suppliers here—from electronics and innovative products to raw materials and machinery.”
As the fair encourages collaboration in the global marketplace, the 136th Canton Fair indeed buzzes with novelty.
There’s no shortage of new products at this year’s fair, with countless cutting-edge technologies and business models on display. Exhibitors proudly showcase their latest hot-selling items, featuring a plethora of “black tech” products that captivate attendees.
High-tech and high-value products like electric vehicles, industrial automation equipment, humanoid robots, smart bio-inspired hands, hydrogen-powered bicycles, and intelligent home appliances are notably popular. This highlights the rapid ascendancy of Chinese manufacturing into the mid-to-high end of the industrial chain and value chain, showcasing the strengthened independent innovation capabilities of Chinese companies.
Humanoid robots are a crowd favorite, engaging audiences with greetings, handshakes, heart signs, and even dance routines. One buyer asked, “Can this cooking robot make Western dishes too?” as he watched in awe while the latest generation of a cooking robot whipped up a plate of spicy shredded pork in just three minutes, eager to learn about its other functionalities for his procurement list.
To enhance its intelligence, the programming of this window-cleaning robot was upgraded from hundreds of thousands to millions of lines of code. Not only can it clean glass effectively, but it also autonomously determines its cleaning path based on the shape and size of the glass.
Exhibitors indicated that a humanoid robot equipped with 41 high-performance servo joints and a multidimensional sensory system is poised to enter mass production soon.
Covering a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters with 74,000 booths, the first phase of the Canton Fair emphasizes “advanced manufacturing,” showcasing a significant influx of new productivity. High-quality enterprises and products that are digital, intelligent, and eco-friendly stood out as major highlights. Among the many exhibits, 390,000 digital products were presented.
Additionally, the fair saw nearly 4,600 new exhibitors, with over 4,200 esteemed companies, including small and medium-sized champions and national-level high-tech firms. Approximately 3,600 companies focusing on “new three categories,” digital technologies, and smart manufacturing were in attendance, representing traditional sectors such as electronics and energy, as well as emerging new industries like cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses. New exhibitors presented a staggering 1.15 million new products, with digital smart products increasing threefold compared to the last fair.
Environmental sustainability is a key trend in international trade, and the Canton Fair is adapting by expanding its green energy exhibits. This year marks the first time hydrogen energy themes have been added to the new energy section, along with a new energy storage products area, attracting over 110 new energy exhibitors showcasing various hydrogen-related products.
The fair also attracts an array of international participants, creating a vibrant “global village” atmosphere. In the new energy vehicle and smart transportation zone, foreign buyers crowded various booths, seeking information, while some older international purchasers enjoyed rides in mobility scooters throughout the halls. In the agricultural machinery section, buyers engaged with various cutting-edge products and communicated with sellers.
Experts have pointed out that as a series of policies aimed at reducing costs and enhancing innovation capability take effect, the market for high-end manufacturing in China continues to expand, significantly boosting international competitiveness. This trend was clearly reflected at the Canton Fair, which emphasized rapid growth in innovation-driven high-end manufacturing.
“From the Canton Fair, we can see that Chinese products and brands have reached a new level of high-quality development. The exhibition is a showcase of the finest quality, style, and safety, reflecting China’s confidence and capability to provide more superior manufacturing and innovation to the world,” stated Shu Shijia, Director of the China Foreign Trade Center at the Ministry of Commerce.
This year at the fair, around 3,600 exhibitors focused on new categories, digital technologies, and smart manufacturing. More than 14,000 companies showcased their own brands, and about 18,000 companies gained various international certifications. The fair displayed 1.15 million new items, 1.04 million green products, and 1.11 million products with independent intellectual property rights, all demonstrating significant growth compared to the previous edition. Approximately 400 new product launches were held, surpassing last year’s figures by over 30%.
“The new momentum in China’s trade is accelerating,” noted Xiao Lu, Deputy Director of the Foreign Trade Department at the Ministry of Commerce. He highlighted that the technological content and brand value of Chinese export products are on the rise, especially in the green and low-carbon sectors. Chinese-made electric vehicles are now exported to over 170 countries and regions, and the cross-border e-commerce sector is thriving, with over 120,000 operators expanding product categories and service offerings.
To further leverage the Canton Fair’s platform for advancing new productivity, the Ministry of Commerce has implemented new initiatives to support dynamic, high-potential enterprises in showcasing their innovations. In July, management guidelines were revised to allocate at least 10% of the booths in each section to promising companies, even those just beginning to export.
“The 136th Canton Fair features over 8,000 excellent companies meeting these criteria, with their booth numbers representing 27% of the total for exporting companies and 33.6% of the total booths, reflecting increases of 40% and 43%, respectively,” Xiao added.
In an effort to adapt to the evolving climate, this year’s fair features 171 product zones, including 16 focused on smart technologies. Nearly 300 more companies joined compared to last year, resulting in a 26.5% increase in booth numbers. Among participating companies, 57.8% are utilizing big data, artificial intelligence, and industrial internet technologies to enhance their supply chains. Furthermore, 55.9% hold patents in the green and low-carbon sector. The number of green low-carbon products displayed has exceeded 1.04 million, which is an increase of over 130% compared to last year.
Emphasizing the protection of intellectual property rights encourages more innovative products and technologies to shine. “Pre-event surveys indicate that 94% of exhibitors present new products, and 64.8% showcase items with independent intellectual property rights,” Xiao stated. The current Canton Fair saw over a million new products and items with independent intellectual property rights. Notably, humanoid robots, smart devices, and autonomous products were featured for the first time.
Starting with this fair, thanks to strong support from the National Intellectual Property Administration, exhibits of original inventions, brand trademarks, and design innovations will receive exhibition certifications to better facilitate patent applications and protect intellectual property rights.
“In recent years, a host of supportive policies have been introduced, such as strengthening cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouse initiatives, optimizing the foreign trade environment, and enhancing intellectual property protections. These measures have created a more conducive and flexible development atmosphere for our foreign trade companies, further igniting our innovation potential and market competitiveness, which boosts our confidence for future growth,” remarked an executive from an exhibiting company.
“China is currently accelerating the development of new productivity, marked by clear trends of upgrading the manufacturing industry in terms of high-end, intelligent, and sustainable practices. Innovation is making Chinese manufacturing more widely favored,” noted Wang Lingjun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs.
Data indicates that in September, China’s exports have maintained growth for six consecutive months, with a cumulative export volume of 18.62 trillion yuan (about $2.81 trillion) in the first three quarters—the highest value recorded for this period—growing by 6.2% year-over-year and outpacing the average growth rate over the past decade by 0.5%.
Although China’s foreign trade faces increasingly complex and severe external challenges, the core dynamics of economic development remain unchanged, and there is confidence in continuing to navigate the next phase effectively.
“Preliminary estimates based on data from various economies show that China’s overall export share in the global market is steadily increasing. Notable among major export products, ranging from furniture and appliances to ships and containers, is a marked improvement in global market share, showcasing China’s resilient export strength,” said Lv Daliang, spokesperson and Director of the Statistical Analysis Division at the General Administration of Customs. “As we accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system and promote new productivity tailored to local conditions, our robust manufacturing base, comprehensive industrial categories, and massive industrial system still provide a solid advantage, further consolidating our position in the global supply chain. A recent survey conducted among over 800 major export companies revealed that 69% anticipate stable or even growing exports in the fourth quarter.”
At the forum titled “New Channels and New Models Empowering Diverse Development of Foreign Trade” during the Canton Fair, the Institute of E-Commerce under the Ministry of Commerce released the “Report on the Development of Chinese Brands Going Global.” It outlines how, since 1978, the journey of Chinese brands entering international markets has traversed several stages, from nascent and exploratory to growth and innovation phases. Since 2020, Chinese brands have increasingly adopted diverse marketing strategies to integrate into local markets and enhance their international influence.
Zhou Mi, a researcher at the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Research Institute, remarked, “The Canton Fair vividly illustrates how advanced manufacturing not only strengthens product quality but also enhances efficiency and sustainability, reflecting the accelerated release of new trade momentum from China.”
