The 139th Canton Fair successfully concluded on May 5th. Faced with a complex external environment, this year’s Canton Fair has gathered global merchants with an open attitude, showcased Chinese manufacturing with innovative wisdom, and built a trade bridge with excellent services, demonstrating the resilience and vitality of China’s foreign trade, as well as China’s determination and responsibility to expand high-level opening-up to the outside world.
Tens of thousands of merchants gather, “circle of friends” keeps expanding
Traveling across mountains and seas for a “rendezvous with China”, new and repeat sourcing guests encounter here “China’s Wisdom”, “China’s Green”, and “China’s Beauty”. A total of 314,000 overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions attended the Fair, up 1.1% from the 138th session (similarly hereinafter). Among them, buyers from the United States, Australia, Canada, etc., saw notable growth, while those from Belt and Road partner countries remained steady. 407 leading sourcing enterprises and 154 overseas business institutions participated. On-site intended export turnover reached USD 25.7 billion, with many buyers already scheduling subsequent factory visits.
Exhibitors stated frankly: “Where the Canton Fair is, there is business, and there is confidence.”
Buyers remarked: “Every second at the Canton Fair is precious,” “The world needs the Canton Fair more than ever,” and “For business, the Canton Fair is the place to be.”
Shining with “newness”, “technology tree” climbs higher and higher
“Intelligent Manufacturing in China” advances toward the new, the green, the smart, and the warm, as the world witnesses a “moment of glory” here. With 4.65 million exhibits on site, products featuring new, green, and smart elements each accounted for over 20%. 665 new product launch events were held, with over 60% of products applying innovative technologies. The CF Award “Design Light” display area gathered premium products that have won gold awards and above over the years. Unmanned aerial vehicles, smart wearables, and other products competed on the same stage. Innovative designs and green materials created “hit products” in abundance. “China-chic” aesthetics led new global consumption fashions. Exoskeletons, bionic hands, and other products warmed the world and benefited the globe. Chinese enterprises, with their innovative wisdom, wrote “Chinese pride” and conveyed the goodwill of a great power through the warmth of technology.
Buyers gave praise: “This is the future.”
Media commented: The Canton Fair is a vivid practice of China’s high-standard opening up and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Here, one can see China’s speed and feel China’s warmth.
Meticulous service polishes the “golden brand” to even greater brilliance
Digital intelligence empowerment, whole-chain optimization, and targeted matchmaking — service “value-added” drives trade “increments”. 553,000 people used the Canton Fair APP, and 317,000 experienced booth-level navigation, making offline sourcing more effortless with “one-click access and code-based fair visit”. The trade service exhibition area, covering the entire enterprise lifecycle, saw 210 institutions serve over 120,000 visits. 38 supply-demand matchmaking events, 12 live-streamed exhibition tours, 25 live-streamed sessions for the Middle East, and 9 themed forums helped enterprises precisely expand markets and efficiently seek business opportunities. The exclusive exhibit tour for Middle Eastern buyers attracted over 3.05 million views and 290,000 interactions. Enthusiastic volunteers, convenient electric shuttle carts, and a wide variety of catering options…
Exhibitors and buyers marveled: “Canton Fair services are textured and warm, with endless surprises.”
Resonant presentation broadens the “win-win path”
In total, 252 media organizations with over 2,000 journalists covered the Fair. Over 23,000 domestic and overseas media platforms disseminated more than 2.41 million pieces of information on topics such as China’s production and supply chains, the “new, green, and smart” development of China’s foreign trade, and global merchant participation. Total views on overseas social media and news media exceeded 120 million. Topics such as the exoskeleton robot that helped a buyer with mobility difficulties stand and walk again, and Zhang Xue’s motorcycle brand, exploded across the internet, achieving phenomenal screen penetration and receiving widespread forwarding and praise both domestically and internationally. Mainstream overseas media frequently focused on and actively reported on the Canton Fair’s vibrant turnout, innovative vitality, and value of openness. From overseas perspectives to human-interest stories, from product experiences to cooperation cases, the media vividly told the stories of shared wins and gains between Chinese and foreign enterprises, spreading China’s strong message of open cooperation far and wide across the globe.
The 140th Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou from October 15 to November 4, 2026.
The Canton Fair will mark a major milestone — its 70th anniversary since inception.
We sincerely invite global merchants to once again gather in the “Flower City” (Guangzhou), ride the favorable tailwinds of the times, honor the autumn harvest rendezvous, and jointly write a new chapter of openness, inclusiveness, prosperity and development.
