Introduction of China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair)

China Import and Export Fair, also known as Canton Fair, was established in 1957. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of PRC and the People's Government of Guangdong Province and organized by China Foreign Trade Centre, it is held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, China. Canton Fair is a comprehensive international trading event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete exhibit variety, the largest buyer attendance, the broadest distribution of buyers' source country and the greatest business turnover in China.

Since its inception, the Canton Fair has been adhering to reform and innovation. It has withstood various challenges and never been interrupted. The Canton Fair enhances trade connection between China and the world, demonstrating China's image and achievements of development. It is an outstanding platform for Chinese enterprises to explore the international market and an exemplary base to implement China's strategies for foreign trade growth. Over years of development, the Canton Fair now serves as the first and foremost platform to promote China's foreign trade, and a barometer of the foreign trade sector. It is the window, epitome and symbol of China's opening up.

Up to the 126th session, the accumulated export volume has amounted to about USD 1.4126 trillion and the total number of overseas buyers has reached 8.99 million. The exhibition area of each session totals 1.185 million ㎡ and the number of exhibitors from home and abroad stands at nearly 26,000. In each session, about 200,000 buyers attend the Fair from more than 210 countries and regions all over the world.

Since 2020, in the face of the raging global pandemic of coronavirus and severely battered global trade, the Canton Fair was moved online. This is a significant decision made by the central government and the State Council to coordinate the pandemic prevention and control and economic and social development. At the 129th Canton Fair, 26,000 Chinese and international exhibitors displayed products in live marketing and conducted online negotiation via virtual Canton Fair. Buyers from 227 countries and regions registered and visited the Fair; buyer source country reached a record high. The success of virtual Canton Fair blazed a new path of international trade development, and laid a solid foundation for online offline integrated development. The Fair made great contribution to stabilizing the fundamentals of foreign trade and investment, with its role of an all-round platform of opening up given a better play. It showed the international community China’s resolution to expand opening up and safeguard the security of global supply and industrial chain.

As China’s premier trade promotion platform, the Canton Fair directly links domestic and international markets and serves as the linchpin of the dual circulation. It enjoys a unique position in building the new development paradigm. At the new starting point toward the second centenary goal, we at the Canton Fair will follow through the instructions of President Xi's congratulatory letter. In the new development stage, we will implement new development concepts, promote the establishment of a new development paradigm, spur innovation in system, mechanism and business model, and further the Fair’s specialization, digitalization, market orientation and international development. By advancing the integration of online and offline development, domestic and international trade, import and export, exhibition and conference, we will develop the Canton Fair into an efficient trade platform that demonstrates the best and latest achievements of China’s economic growth, industrial development and product upgrading. We will make a better use of domestic and international markets and resources, give a better play to the Canton Fair’s role of a platform for all-round opening up, in a bid to serve national strategies, all-round opening up, innovation-led development of foreign trade and the building of a new development paradigm.