Recently, the “Bridge of Trade – China Industry Tour” Middle East Special Session, co-hosted with the “Guangdong Goods Go Global” initiative, was held in Guangzhou. Organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, and co-organized by the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, the event invited representatives from 17 leading head procurement enterprises from nine Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait, the UAE, and Egypt. They engaged with 52 high-quality manufacturing enterprises from Guangzhou in a precision-focused supply-demand matching session, concentrating on key fashion industries such as consumer electronics, beauty and cosmetics, textiles and apparel, and leather goods and bags.
Immersive Factory Tours: Firsthand Verification of “Guangdong Goods” Strength
Departing from traditional exhibition hall negotiations, this event innovatively adopted an “immersive factory tour + industry promotion + brand roadshow” model, allowing buyers to “bring orders directly to the factories.” On the morning of the event, the Middle Eastern buyers split into two groups, visiting benchmark factories in the electronics and information industry and the leather goods and bags sector.
At the production workshop of Beile (Guangzhou) Intelligent Information Technology Co., Ltd., the automated production process for intelligent massage devices drew frequent stops from the buyers. At the acoustics lab of Guangzhou Havit Technology Co., Ltd., the immersive experience of AI audio technology elicited waves of admiration. “Seeing the production lines with my own eyes and testing product performance firsthand builds a level of trust that pictures and videos simply cannot replace,” said Ali, a buyer from the UAE. The high-tech luggage products from Goldsun Luggage Technology Co., Ltd. also sparked strong interest from Ahmed, an Egyptian buyer. “The R&D capabilities and craftsmanship standards at Guangzhou’s factories fully meet our demands for high-end luggage,” the buyer noted. It is understood that Goldsun Group holds over 800 independent innovation patents and has won multiple international design awards, including the Red Dot and iF awards.
Precision Matching: Four Industries Aligned with Middle Eastern Market Demand
During the dedicated matchmaking session in the afternoon, the organizers set up four specialized display zones and arranged presentations by leading enterprises, creating a lively atmosphere for on-site negotiations.
In the consumer electronics section, smart terminal products from companies like Tiger Head Battery, Havit, and Huisheng Technology attracted significant attention. In the beauty and cosmetics zone, enterprises such as B.Well Biotechnology and Ruizhi Biotechnology presented color cosmetics and skincare products precisely tailored for the Middle Eastern market. The textile, apparel, and leather goods area was also bustling, with trendy clothing from Rongyuan International Trade and handbags from Oshilai drawing multiple rounds of discussions.
Both buyers and suppliers generally agreed that the “site visit + meeting room negotiation” model not only improved matching efficiency but also built a bridge for long-term cooperation. A buyer from Yemen told reporters, “Guangzhou is not only a hub of trade but also a city of innovation. We look forward to establishing long-term and stable cooperative relationships with Guangzhou enterprises.”
One enthusiastic company representative shared, “The buyers who came this time were very professional and had clear requirements—some even arrived with orders in hand.” According to reports, the initial cooperation intentions have already been reached with multiple buyers on-site. Among the 52 Guangzhou-based companies participating, many are industry benchmarks, and their products have obtained various international certifications, enabling efficient integration into the full Middle Eastern procurement supply chain.
In his speech, Sun Bin, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, noted that this event represents a deep integration of the two major themes—”Bridge of Trade – China Industry Tour” and “Guangdong Goods Go Global”—and will further promote the upgrade from “Made in Guangdong” to “Intelligently Made in Guangdong” and from “manufactured products” to “trendsetters.”
Deepening Engagement with the Middle East Market: The Millennium Trading Port Writes a New Chapter of the Silk Road
Economic and trade ties between Guangzhou and the Middle East are growing increasingly close, with bilateral trade potential accelerating. Data shows that in 2025, Guangzhou’s import and export volume with the Middle East reached 96.55 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 26.7%. Among this, exports of mechanical and electrical products grew by 40.1%, exports of the “new trio” (new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products) surged by 110%, exports of labor-intensive products rose by 18.8%, and imports of natural gas increased by 14.9%. Amid the current complex and volatile international trade environment, Guangzhou is actively connecting with the Middle Eastern market through more efficient “Digital Silk Roads” and “Air Silk Roads.”
This confidence stems from Guangzhou’s well-established industrial ecosystem. Currently, the city is home to over 30,000 foreign trade entities and 508 specialized markets. Key industries such as consumer electronics and beauty and cosmetics have formed complete industry chains integrating R&D, production, and sales, and the city has established 13 national and provincial-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases. Wu Weihua, Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, stated that Guangzhou will make full use of the Canton Fair and the “Guangdong Trade Goes Global” exhibition platforms to enhance the influence of “Quality Guangdong Goods.” The city will further deepen the integration of “cross-border e-commerce + industry clusters,” support Guangzhou enterprises in setting up overseas warehouses in the Middle East, seize opportunities from the region’s industrial upgrading to encourage enterprises to “go global collectively,” and comprehensively empower Guangdong goods to sail smoothly to the Middle East.
Ma Fengmin, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Trade Centre, stated that the core mission of this “Bridge of Trade – China Industry Tour” event is to help Middle Eastern buyers navigate regional uncertainties by establishing stable and efficient supply and procurement channels with China’s advantageous industries, ensuring that trade cooperation remains “uninterrupted, unwavering, and undiminished.” He also revealed that, as an important practice in the Canton Fair’s exploration of a “never-ending” model, this year’s “Bridge of Trade – China Industry Tour” will also visit six cities across four provinces (municipalities).
