The 136th Canton Fair came to a successful conclusion in Guangzhou on November 4th. Zhou Shanqing, the Director of the Canton Fair Press Center and Deputy Director of the China Foreign Trade Center, briefed Chinese and foreign media on the overall operation of this session of the fair.

This Canton Fair fully implemented the spirit of the significant congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping and effectively executed the decisions and arrangements made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. Under the robust leadership of the Ministry of Commerce and Guangdong Province, and with the concerted efforts of relevant ministries and commissions, local commerce authorities, overseas institutions, and all participants, it achieved the objectives of being splendid, triumphant, secure, and incorruptible, yielding remarkable results and making active contributions to promoting high-quality development in international trade, expanding high-level opening-up, and propelling the construction of Chinese modernization.

The number of overseas buyers present at the fair reached an all-time high. As of November 3rd (hereinafter the same), a total of 253,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions attended the fair, marking a 2.8% increase compared to the previous session. It surpassed the 250,000 threshold for the first time, setting a new historical record. Buyers from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for over 60%, totaling 165,000, with a growth rate of 3.7%. The number of buyers from Middle Eastern countries witnessed the fastest growth, reaching 34,000, a staggering 32.6% increase. There was also a significant rebound in the number of buyers from European and American countries, with 54,000 in attendance, an 8.2% growth. Specifically, there were 22,000 buyers from the European Union, a 22.5% increase; and 8,919 buyers from the United States, a 5.2% increase. A total of 146 industrial and commercial organizations formed groups to participate, showing an 18.5% growth. The number of leading multinational purchasing enterprises exceeded 300 for the first time, hitting 308.

The intended export turnover registered a slight uptick compared to the previous session. The intended export turnover of this Canton Fair amounted to $24.95 billion, a 1% increase over the previous gathering. Deals with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for more than half, and transactions in traditional European and American markets also saw growth. Exhibiting enterprises generally reported that overseas buyers attending this session had clear procurement goals and a strong willingness to cooperate. It was expected that more deals would be sealed after subsequent on-site factory inspections and in-depth business matchmaking.

Innovative products were highly sought after. This Canton Fair focused on presenting the development achievements of new drivers of growth. Innovative products sprang up continuously, with their technological sophistication and brand value on the rise. A total of 1.15 million new products, 1.04 million green products, and 1.11 million products with independent intellectual property rights were put on display. Digital, intelligent, and green products stood out as highlights and were favored by overseas buyers. A total of 435 new product launch activities were held, attracting approximately 3,500 buyers to participate offline. The Canton Fair Design Innovation Award (CF Award) selected 147 award-winning products from 120 enterprises, and the award-winning product exhibition hall attracted over 30,000 visitors.

Enterprises participating in the import exhibition reaped bountiful rewards. A total of 730 enterprises from 49 countries and regions took part in the import exhibition of this Canton Fair. Among them, enterprises from countries collaborating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for 65.5%, and those from RCEP member states accounted for 33%. Many globally renowned enterprises concentrated on showcasing intelligent manufacturing and high-quality household consumption products, drawing the attention of both domestic and overseas buyers. Enterprises from exhibition groups such as Russia, Malaysia, and Vietnam reached preliminary cooperation intentions with Chinese enterprises, and their products were expected to enter the Chinese market speedily. Exhibition groups from Turkey, South Korea, and Egypt indicated that they had reaped rich rewards and would continue to form groups to participate in the next session.

The online platform functioned smoothly. Exhibiting enterprises of this Canton Fair cumulatively uploaded around 3.75 million exhibits on the official website of the Canton Fair, attracting 450,000 overseas buyers from 224 countries and regions to participate online. The cumulative visits to enterprise stores reached 3.42 million times, of which the cumulative visits to export exhibition stores were 3.39 million times. Enterprises conducted 986 online connection displays, with a total of 32,000 views. The newly launched Canton Fair APP attracted approximately 87,000 downloads and uses, emerging as a widely popular “mobile conference assistant.