Canton Fair Insights | Building a Trade Bridge for Shared Gains Amid Global Change

As geopolitical conflicts and trade frictions continue to unsettle global markets, businesses worldwide are looking for far more than orders. They seek reliable partners, stable supply chains and new growth narratives. Over its 70-year history, the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, has built a trade bridge that remains open to the world, creating opportunities for mutual benefit amid the shifting tides of globalization.

Commenting on the 140th Canton Fair, Pakistan Today, a leading Pakistani news outlet, noted that the fair has served as a valuable platform connecting China with the world for seven decades. Chinese-made consumer goods long known for their value for money, alongside new technologies, products and business models emerging in recent years in fields such as artificial intelligence, green energy and biomedicine, continue to bring fresh dynamism and development opportunities to the global economy.

A global poll released by CGTN at the opening of the fair found that 85.1 percent of respondents believed China's continued hosting of the event demonstrates its resolve to advance high-standard opening up and provides lasting momentum for economic globalization that is inclusive, beneficial to all, fair and orderly, as well as for shared prosperity worldwide.

International media perspectives and global public opinion point to the same conclusion: as tariffs, compliance requirements and geopolitical friction make dependable long-term supply chains increasingly scarce, the Canton Fair, a key window on China's economic opening up, offers more than a wider range of choices. It offers certainty grounded in firsthand, face-to-face verification.

Data show that more than 12,000 enterprises participated in the first phase of this session of the Canton Fair, including over 6,000 high-quality firms in categories such as high-tech enterprises, specialized and sophisticated enterprises that produce unique and innovative products, and single-product champions. A total of 128,000 new products, 67,000 AI products and 202,000 green products were on display, representing year-on-year increases of 6.7 percent, 20.5 percent and 13.5 percent, respectively. These rising figures clearly show the steady transformation of China's manufacturing sector toward higher-end, smarter and greener production.

Tatyana Patotskaya, a Russian buyer who has attended the Canton Fair every year for more than a decade, commented: "Today, the Canton Fair is not merely a platform for sourcing goods. It is a venue to seek solutions, exchange innovative ideas and stay abreast of cutting-edge industry trends. It stands as an extremely valuable professional trade platform in China."

As a vital economic and trade channel linking China and Belt and Road Initiative partner countries, the Canton Fair serves as an indispensable bridge. Among the more than 30,000 exhibitors at this session, nearly 20 percent have made outbound investments, creating more than 200,000 local jobs. A growing number of Chinese enterprises no longer simply ship goods to emerging markets. Instead, they bring research and development, brands, distribution networks and services along with them, cultivating a long-term presence in the markets of Belt and Road partner countries.

For seven decades, the Canton Fair has weathered challenges while consistently playing a key role as a "trade bridge" in connecting global supply and demand and promoting economic and trade cooperation. It has provided an important platform for enterprises worldwide to deepen collaboration and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.