As China's foreign trade barometer, the biannual China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, has adopted a more open stance, serving as a "super connector" for economic and trade cooperation with partners, especially countries participating in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
According to the latest data from the fair's organizer, as of October 9, 207,000 buyers from 217 markets had pre-registered for the ongoing 138th edition of the Canton Fair, a 14.1 percent increase from the previous session in April and May, with notable growth from the EU, the US, and BRI partner countries. The fair's global partners have expanded to 227, covering 110 countries and regions.
The 138th Canton Fair kicked off on Wednesday and runs through November 4 in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province.
The first phase (October 15 to 19) of the import exhibition at the 138th edition has attracted 124 companies from 16 BRI partner countries, including South Korea, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, and Vietnam, accounting for approximately 60 percent of the import exhibitors. These enterprises from BRI markets are leveraging the Canton Fair platform to expand business opportunities and achieve cooperation, said the Canton Fair organizer.
Unlock big markets
"Every time I attend the Canton Fair, I can discover many innovations and creative ideas," a buyer from Turkey told the Global Times on Thursday. "I am deeply impressed by China's innovation capabilities."
Although the buyer's company mainly deals in coffee machine products, he immediately went to the service robot area and was interested in the coffee robots. "I've already collected product brochures of the coffee robot of COFE+ and exchanged contacts."
As buyers seek fresh innovations, Chinese exporters are also adapting to BRI market preferences. Chinese enterprises leverage the Canton Fair to explore new demands and adjust product designs, customizing goods to local tastes and needs.
Industrial robots serve as a prime example, with exports surging 54.9 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
Many exporters at the Canton Fair told the Global Times that this surge is largely due to precisely meeting global factory automation demand, especially from Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Chen Kangjie, a product manager at Guizhou Jonyang Kinetics Co Ltd, told the Global Times on Wednesday at the Canton Fair that the company brought its latest all-terrain, pure electric unmanned inspection vehicle.
"We aim to deliver more targeted products and services to our customers after in-depth exchanges with overseas buyers at the Canton Fair," Chen said.
Overseas revenues in the air-conditioner sector rose more than 50 percent in the first three quarters, Liao Shixing, general manager of overseas branch of Guangdong Chigo Air Conditioning Co Ltd, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"In BRI markets, Chigo has established itself as a leading brand with a 10 percent market share," said Liao.
Closer cooperation
Through the Canton Fair, Chinese companies are forging ties with BRI partners, not only exporting products but also building production plants, providing technical training and maintenance services. This facilitates local capacity enhancement, achieving a full chain "product+service" model.
Xie Shuisheng, assistant chief marketing officer for overseas operations at Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliances Holdings Co Ltd, told the Global Times that the company has accelerated its overseas production layout this year. Its second manufacturing base in Indonesia is now operational, with further capacity expansion plans underway to solidify its global development foundation.
"We are focusing on BRI markets, especially African countries, and Central and South America," a manager of a Yiwu-based hardware tools manufacturer, told the Global Times at the fair on condition of anonymity.
He noted that his company previously focused on the US market, but due to tariffs, the company has shifted its target markets since 2018.
"The market-shift decision has clearly paid off, as we are largely untouched by the US tariffs this year, and so far, we expect a 10 percent export growth for the whole year," the manager said. "Many Yiwu companies around us are also diversifying and expanding into new markets," he said.
In the first nine months of 2025, China's trade with BRI partner countries climbed to 17.37 trillion yuan ($2.44 trillion), up 6.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 51.7 percent of total trade volume - an increase of 1.1 percentage points, according to GAC data.
"The expanding 'circle of friends' in China's foreign trade shows how deeply its industrial system is woven into global supply chains," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times.
'Public goods'
Canton Fair is serving as public goods for traders worldwide.
A highlight of this session was a new matchmaking program that helps export-oriented products tap China's domestic market. This allows export exhibitors from BRI partner countries to seize opportunities to enter the Chinese market, the Canton Fair organizer said.
China's broader openness continues to deliver "public goods" to the world, extending far beyond the Canton Fair itself. "Last year, one of my clients said he was not available to come to the Canton Fair in October. Instead, we met each other at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in November in Shanghai," Geng Liang, sales manager at Millplan Electric Appliance (Shenzhen) Co, told the Global Times.
Geng said that China's multiple massive expos provided more opportunities to global traders.
"We will host major trade events to high standards, such as the CIIE, the Canton Fair, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the Global Digital Trade Expo, and the China International Consumer Products Expo," read the 2025 Government Work Report, as part of the efforts to expand higher-standard opening-up and stabilize foreign trade and investment.
As a critical manufacturing hub, China plays an irreplaceable role in advancing global societal development. Despite rising uncertainty driven by unilateralism and protectionism, it continues to champion multilateralism and openness, drawing more partners to safeguard resilient global supply chains, Zhou said.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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