China Import and Export Commodities Fair, also known as Canton Fair, was founded in the spring of 1957. It is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and undertaken by China Foreign Trade Center. It is a comprehensive international trade event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete variety of commodities, the largest number of purchasers and the widest distribution of countries and regions, the best transaction effect and the best reputation in China.
Since its inception, the Canton Fair has always adhered to reform and innovation and has never stopped going through various severe tests. It has strengthened China’s trade exchanges with the world, showcased China’s image and development achievements, and served as a high-quality platform for Chinese enterprises to explore the international market and a leading demonstration base for the implementation of China’s foreign trade development strategy. After years of development, the Canton Fair has become the no. 1 promotion platform for China’s foreign trade, known as the barometer and weathervane of China’s foreign trade, and a window, epitome and symbol of China’s opening-up.
By the end of the 126th Canton Fair, the total volume of export transactions reached us $1,412.6 billion, and about 8.99 million overseas buyers attended the fair. At present, each Canton Fair has an exhibition scale of 1.185 million square meters, with nearly 26,000 exhibitors from home and abroad, and about 200,000 overseas buyers from more than 210 countries and regions attending.
Since 2020, the Canton Fair has been held online for three consecutive years in response to changing times as the global COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread and international trade has been severely impacted. This is an important decision made by the CPC Central Committee and The State Council to actively respond to the impact of the epidemic and coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, which is of great significance. At the 129th Canton Fair, 26,000 exhibitors from home and abroad displayed their products, conducted live marketing and conducted online negotiations, attracting buyers from 227 countries and regions to register for the fair, setting a record for the distribution of buyers from other countries. Canton fair successfully held on the net, to explore a new road of the development of international trade, has laid a solid foundation for the development of online fusion, better play a role of the all-round opening up to the platform, and made positive contributions to stabilize foreign trade foreign capital base, also demonstrated China’s opening up to the international society, strong determination to strive to maintain the international industrial chain supply chain security.
The Canton Fair is an important trade promotion platform in China, directly connecting domestic and international markets. It is an important node of the international and domestic double cycle, and has a unique position in the construction of a new development pattern. Standing at the new starting point of the second Centenary Goal, the Canton Fair will fully implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter, based on the new stage of development, implement the new development concept, serve to build a new development pattern, innovate systems, mechanisms and business models, and continue to enhance the level of internationalization, specialization, marketization and informatization. Promote online fusion, domestic trade, foreign trade, import export mix, exhibition meeting merge, make the fair a display of China’s economic development, industry development, product upgrades to its highest level and the latest achievements of efficient trade platform, in the higher level use of two markets and two resources, better give play to the role of all-round opening up to the platform, Better serve the national strategy, all-round opening-up, innovative development of foreign trade, and building a new development pattern.by