138th Canton Fair sets multiple new records

The 138th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) has once again demonstrated the vitality and resilience of China's foreign trade, setting multiple new historical records. The fair had a blockbuster opening on October 15 at the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou, Haizhu District of Guangzhou, China's Guangdong Province. Held in three phases from October 15 to November 4, it has turned into a focal point on the global economic and trade stage, marked by several record-breaking figures.

Prominent among them, a total of 74,600 booths and over 32,000 exhibiting enterprises — both figures have set a new historical high for the Canton Fair.

Pre-registered overseas buyers exceeded 240,000, covering 218 countries and regions, representing a 10 percent increase from the previous edition. Significant growth was seen among buyers from the European Union, the United States, and Belt and Road (BRI) partner countries.

Unprecedented scale: Record number of high-quality enterprises

The fair featured an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, organized into 55 exhibition sections based on 13 professional categories. The total number of participating companies surpassed 32,000, with about 3,600 enterprises making their debut. Among them, 2,640 companies occupied brand-name booths.

Robust trade: Strong transaction performance

According to available data, the opening day saw various local trade delegations reporting strong "getting off to a good start" results. The Shenzhen delegation achieved a transaction volume of $115 million, four times the amount recorded on the first day of the previous autumn session. The Tianjin delegation secured intended transactions worth $27 million, indicating a positive momentum for deals.

Innovation momentum: Smart and green products stand out

Pre-fair research estimated that the Canton Fair showcased over 1 million new products (developed within the last year), nearly 1.1 million products with independent intellectual property rights, along with approximately 800,000 products that made their debut.

The fair established 18 smart product zones, exhibiting a total of 353,000 smart items. Furthermore, 47 percent of the new products launched for the first time incorporated green design concepts. Among exhibiting enterprises, 38.4 percent reported adopting green production technologies in their manufacturing processes, and companies collectively displayed 1.083 million green and low-carbon products.

New special zones: Robotics and smart healthcare in the spotlight

The Service Robotics zone brought together 46 industry-leading enterprises, showcasing cutting-edge products like humanoid robots and robot dogs. The newly established Smart Healthcare zone attracted 47 participating companies.

The Canton Fair, teeming with thousands of merchants, has once again showcased to the world the innovative vitality and resilience of "Made in China."