The 140th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, is set to host more than 32,000 exhibitors in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in South China. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that the three-phase trade fair will run from October 15 to November 4, marking the 70th anniversary of the event, which has grown into the country’s largest and longest-running international trade fair.
Zhang Li, Assistant Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, stated during a press conference in Beijing that the fair reflects China’s ongoing structural upgrading and innovation in foreign trade. He noted that over the past seven decades, the Canton Fair has become a central platform for global commerce, characterized by the widest range of products, the largest number of buyers, and the highest transaction volume among international trade fairs.
Recent data from Xinhua News Agency indicates that China’s trade in goods rose 17.6 per cent year-on-year to 34.8 trillion yuan (approximately 5.15 trillion US dollars) in the first eight months of 2026. During this period, exports increased by 14.6 per cent, while imports grew by 22 per cent, underscoring the strong momentum in the nation’s foreign trade sector.
Technology plays a significant role in this year’s exhibition, with roughly 64 per cent of exhibitors utilizing new technologies such as the industrial internet and artificial intelligence (AI). Zhang highlighted that new and green products will account for 23.2 per cent and 26 per cent of the exhibits, respectively, both reaching record highs. The fair will also introduce 22 smart application scenarios and 16 AI applications for the first time, including booth-level navigation and augmented reality displays of booth information.
Shifting from a traditional focus on securing orders, participating companies are increasingly adopting a “product plus service” model, with 36.5 per cent of exhibitors having made this transition. The trade services section will cover 10 categories of producer services for the first time. More than 210,000 overseas buyers have already completed pre-registration for the event, with officials expecting further increases as the opening date approaches.
Since its inception, the Canton Fair has expanded from 9,600 square metres of exhibition space and 1,200 buyers to 1.55 million square metres and around 310,000 buyers today. While participating companies represent approximately five per cent of China’s foreign trade enterprises, they contribute 16 per cent of the country’s general trade exports. The evolution of the fair’s product mix, from agricultural goods to modern consumer electronics and new energy storage, mirrors the broader transformation of China’s industrial structure.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
