The136th CANTON FAIR

The 136th Canton Fair is scheduled to open in Guangzhou from October 15th to November 4th, organized into three phases, while the online platform will continue to operate as usual.

This year's Canton Fair features three phases, each focusing on themes of "advanced manufacturing," "quality home life," and "better life," welcoming new forms of productive capacity. More than 30,000 enterprises are participating in the offline exhibition, including approximately 29,400 from the export sector, an increase of nearly 800 compared to the previous edition. There has been a significant emergence of new companies, products, technologies, and business models, with nearly 4,600 new exhibitors. There are more than 8,000 enterprises that hold titles such as national high-tech enterprises, specialized and sophisticated small and medium enterprises, and manufacturing single champions, marking a growth of over 40% from the last fair.

At this year's Canton Fair, around 3,600 enterprises focus on themes related to "new three (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic modules)," digital technology, and intelligent manufacturing. More than 14,000 enterprises have their own brands, while over 18,000 enterprises have obtained various international certifications. The exhibition will showcase 1.15 million new products, 1.04 million green products, and 1.11 million products with independent intellectual property rights, all of which represent significant growth compared to the previous session.

This year's Canton Fair online platform has optimized 18 features and introduced virtual digital humans for the first time, along with a newly launched APP. The scale of online participation is larger than ever, with approximately 48,000 enterprises showcasing around 3.75 million products. Both the number of enterprises and products have increased by 60% and 50% respectively compared to the previous edition, setting new historical records.

Chu Shijia, the director of the China Foreign Trade Centre under the Ministry of Commerce, stated that based on indicators such as the volume of pre-registrations from foreign purchasers, hotel bookings, and flight reservations, the number of foreign purchasers attending the 136th Canton Fair is expected to remain stable while the quality improves.

First, there has been a strong enthusiasm for pre-registration among purchasers. As of October 9th, a total of 125,000 foreign purchasers have pre-registered. Among them, 75.7% are from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, 20% are from BRICS nations, 17.7% are from OECD member countries, 16.4% are from RCEP member countries, 13.4% are from Middle Eastern countries, and 12.5% are from European and American countries.

Second, the sources of purchasers are diverse. The pre-registered foreign purchasers come from 203 countries and regions. In terms of industry categories, the highest numbers of pre-registered foreign purchasers are from the electronics and home appliances sector, machinery, textiles and garments, consumer goods, and building materials.

Third, there has been a continuous increase in large businesses participating. A total of 223 enterprises from the global top 250 retailers and other major businesses from various countries and regions have confirmed their participation, marking a 24% increase compared to the same period last year. It is expected that the number of large businesses attending this time will surpass 300 for the first time. Notable enterprises that have registered to attend include Walmart and DG from the United States, Auchan and Carrefour from France, Tesco and Kingfisher from the UK, Metro AG and Rewe from Germany, Daiso and Nitori from Japan, Lulu from the UAE, Arzum from Turkey, The Warehouse from New Zealand, and Havan from Brazil.

Fourth, foreign business organizations actively participate. A total of 121 foreign business groups have confirmed their attendance, including the Detroit Chinese Business Association, the Mexico-China Chamber of Commerce and Technology, the Brazil Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, the Egyptian Automobile Manufacturers Association (EAMA), the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia. This represents a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. Among the new foreign groups attending are the West London Chamber of Commerce, the Russian National Association for Builders, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania.