Guangzhou: 140th Canton Fair to draw over 32,000 exhibitors in South China

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has said that the 140th edition of the China Import and Export Fair will draw more than 32,000 companies.

Also known as the Canton Fair, the trade fair that will be held in three phases from October 15 to November 4 will take place in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province.

The Assistant Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Zhang Li, while speaking during a press conference in Beijing, said that over the past seven decades, the Canton Fair has grown into China’s largest and longest-running international trade fair, with the widest range of products, the largest number of buyers and the highest transaction volume.

A report by Xinhua News Agency indicated that China’s trade in goods rose 17.6 per cent year-on-year to 34.8 trillion yuan (about 5.15 trillion US dollars) in the first eight months of 2026, with exports up 14.6 per cent and imports increasing by 22 per cent.

Zhang also said China’s foreign trade has shown stronger momentum in innovation and continued structural upgrading this year, trends also reflected at the Canton Fair.

“Among the exhibitors, more than 11,000 are high-quality enterprises, including those that use specialised and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products and those that hold leading positions in specific manufacturing segments,” Zhang said.

The report by the Chinese Government-owned medium further stated that roughly 64 per cent of exhibitors use new technologies such as the industrial internet and artificial intelligence (AI), while new and green products will account for 23.2 per cent and 26 per cent of exhibits, respectively, with both shares reaching record highs.

“This year’s fair will further enhance its digital and intelligent operations by integrating technologies like AI and big data throughout the exhibition process,” Zhang further said.

He added that the fair will introduce 22 smart application scenarios and 16 AI applications for the first time, and will be the first in China’s exhibition industry to provide booth-level navigation across the entire venue and augmented reality displays of booth information.

Foreign trade companies, Zhang stated, are increasingly shifting from simply securing orders and selling products to building business systems and improving services.

“This year’s fair will for the first time cover 10 categories of producer services in its trade services section, and 36.5 per cent of exhibitors have shifted to a ‘product plus service’ model,” Zhang disclosed.

According to the assistant minister, more than 210,000 overseas buyers have so far completed pre-registration for this year’s fair, with more expected to register as the opening date approaches.

He also said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Canton Fair, which has expanded from 9,600 square metres of exhibition space and 1,200 buyers at its inaugural session to 1.55 million square metres and around 310,000 buyers today.

“The changing mix of products at the fair reflects the evolution of China’s industrial structure. Agricultural and speciality products, handicrafts, textiles and light industrial goods featured prominently in its earlier years, before mechanical and electrical products became the fair’s largest product category for the first time at its 86th session in 1999.”

“Today, the fair features products ranging from consumer electronics to new energy storage products, embodied intelligence products and smart medical equipment, with many cutting-edge Chinese-made products making their debuts at the event.”

“The Canton Fair has also served as a platform for Chinese foreign trade companies to enter and expand in international markets. From 1965 to 1979, annual exports generated through the fair accounted for more than 30 per cent of China’s total exports, exceeding 50 per cent in some years,” Zhang stated.

Zhang added that participating companies account for approximately five per cent of China’s foreign trade enterprises, but contribute 16 per cent of the country’s general trade exports.

Beyond securing orders, Zhang explained that the fair also brings together the latest global market demand, consumer preferences, industry trends, product standards and application scenarios.