136th Canton Fair wraps up with record int'l buyer attendance

Buyers select massage machines at the 136th China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 4, 2024. The 136th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, concluded in Guangzhou on Monday. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

The 136th Canton Fair, officially known as the China Import and Export Fair, concluded on Monday in Guangzhou, south China, recording a historic high in terms of overseas buyer attendance, according to data from the organizers.

As of Sunday, a total of 253,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions had attended the event, marking an increase of 2.8 percent compared to the previous edition held from April 15 to May 5 this year, setting a new record, Zhou Shanqing, deputy director of China Foreign Trade Center and head of the fair's media center, told a press conference held on Monday.

Buyers from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) accounted for over 60 percent of the attendance. The number of buyers from Middle East countries grew the most, reaching 34,000 or a surge of 32.6 percent compared with the previous edition. There was also a notable rise in the number of buyers from the United States and European countries, with 54,000 attending, an 8.2-percent increase from the previous edition.

The intended turnover of export transactions at this session reached 24.95 billion U.S. dollars, 1 percent higher than the previous session. Notably, transactions with Belt and Road partner countries accounted for more than half of this total, while transaction volumes involving buyers from Europe and the United States both logged growth.

Yang Zhusong, an associate professor at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, said that the growing number of exhibitors at the fair is a microcosm of China's influence in global import and export trade.

The increase in buyer attendance from Europe and the United States is attributable not merely to their confidence in China's huge market potential but also to China's efficient manufacturing prowess, which provides a complete industrial chain of services, Yang said.

The attendance of increasing number of enterprises from Belt and Road partner countries indicates that China's cooperation with these countries is pragmatic and the benefits are mutual, according to Yang.

Christian Noll, a buyer from Germany, was still busy on the last day of the fair. Focused mainly on garments, he browsed some booths and settled on a cooperation plan with a partner from Fuzhou in east China's Fujian Province.

"It is the biggest trade show I've ever seen. Normally trade shows happen every two years or at most once a year, to allow companies to innovate in between. This show occurs twice a year and each time the size is amazing, and there is a lot of new stuff. This is the coolest show on the planet," said Noll.

Having attended the fair for four consecutive years, Moulay Elkamel, a buyer from Morocco, described his latest trip to China as "beyond delightful."

"I've met great friends and partners and have seen many interesting products. It's a pity the fair only lasts for half a month. I plan to come back for the show next year in April. There are already some orders ready for settlement," Elkamel said.

Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening up," the 136th Canton Fair featured more than 30,000 exhibitors showcasing 1.15 million new products.

Yang said international buyers are leveraging the Canton Fair as a platform to forge deeper, more mutually advantageous and promising partnerships with Chinese companies.

The continuous development of "Made in China" and "Created in China" is also injecting fresh impetus into the growth of global industrial and supply chains, Yang added.

Chu Shijia, deputy director and secretary general of the fair and head of China Foreign Trade Center, said that the continuous expansion of the Canton Fair reflects the growth and strength of China's foreign trade, and demonstrates China's unwavering determination to open wider to the outside world, providing new opportunities for the world with the country's new development and contributing to the development of an open global economy.

Founded in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trading events in China, and is hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.