68-year-old Canton Fair gains new momentum
Openness, innovation drive global connectivity under new development philosophy
Editor's Note:
Since 2012, China has witnessed an extraordinary economic transition, with historic achievements in all aspects of the economy from its size to its quality. How could the economy maintain stable growth during a tumultuous period in the global geoeconomic landscape? In October 2015, at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared growth, guiding the country in overcoming various risks and challenges, and keeping alive the China economic miracle.
As China embarked on the quest to become a great modern socialist country amid global changes unseen in a century, the new development philosophy has been and will continue to be the guiding principle for development in China for years to come, and will have great significance for the world.
What does it mean for China and the world? To answer these questions, the Global Times has launched this special coverage on Xi's major economic speeches and policies, and how they are being put into practice to boost development in China and around the world.
"If I would use one word to describe the Canton Fair, it is 'new.' You can always find something new - new products, new services, new themes and many other aspects - at the biannual fair," Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, told the Global Times on Monday. He has been a Canton Fair participant for the last 20 years.
The 138th China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, concluded on Tuesday in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with several highlights - new themes, new products, new functions and new friends.
The Canton Fair remains full of surprises for veteran participants such as Zhu. However, for newcomers such as Abdelhamid Yousef, a buyer and distributor from Miami, this fair "is a must-visit to catch the latest innovations and high-tech products." Yousef was drawn by the new product-launch ceremony of a Shenzhen-based commercial intelligent robot company at the 138th edition,
"This is my first time at the Canton Fair, and I'm looking to purchase robots that can deliver food and packages inside buildings," Yousef told the Global Times, noting that China's robotics industry is way ahead with high-quality products.
New themes & products
The 138th edition of the fair, held from October 15 to November 4 in three phases, featured an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters. About 3,600 enterprises made their debut at the fair, according to the organizer.
This edition started with several notable "firsts" and highlights. From the perspective of exhibitors, this edition features over 10,000 high-quality enterprises out of the total 32,000 exhibitors, a record high, accounting for 34 percent of export exhibitors. The fair also showcased 353,000 smart products in total, the Global Times learned from the organizer.
The fair debuted a specialized smart healthcare exhibition zone, drawing 47 exhibitors showcasing surgical robots and wearable technology. The service robot zone, which was first set up in the 137th edition in April, continued to attract global buyers, the Global Times observed at the venue. A total of 46 leading industry firms exhibited embodied robots and robot dogs.
"The creation of new exhibition themes demonstrates how closely the Canton Fair follows industrial trend," said Zhu.
For example, at the 135th session of the Canton Fair in April 2024, a "low-altitude economy" exhibition area debuted. In March 2024, the term "low-altitude economy" was included in the Government Work Report for the first time.
"The increased presence of high-tech products displayed at the Canton Fair shows that China is transforming from a labor-intensive manufacturer to a major technology-driven industrial powerhouse, meaning that China can provide the world with a larger number of high-quality products with strong competitiveness and stable supply," Guo Wei, CMO of Shenzhen Intelligence.Ally Technology Co Ltd, (Allybot), told the Global Times at the Canton Fair.
New friends, old friends
This was only Guo's second time participating in the Canton Fair. Yet his participation represented the upgrading of Chinese industries and technological advancements, as new emerging industries brought new friends.
Meanwhile, the steady presence of long-time partners alongside a continuous stream of new buyers showcases growing global confidence in Chinese products.
For example, Guo said that they garnered potential orders exceeding 1 million yuan ($140,311) on the first phase (October 15 to 19) of the 138th edition, while the company expects a 300 percent year-on-year export growth for the full year.
At this 138th edition, the Canton Fair's global partners expanded by 18 to a record high of 227, covering 110 countries and regions, according to statistics from the organizer. Leading procurement firms were actively attending, exceeding 400 in number, reflecting foreign confidence in the China market.
"Over the past decade, our business has been transformed by this fair. It is our most important tool to stay ahead of global trends," Jesse Guimaraes, vice president of Qonexy lmport & Export Ltd, a Brazilian import company, said during a reception ceremony for the 138th Canton Fair on October 14. He said his personal journey with the Canton Fair began in 2011.
"Furthermore, I have been a firsthand witness to China's remarkable economic journey. I have seen the evolution firsthand: the shift from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China.' I have watched the rise of cutting-edge technologies and green products, and I have seen quality standards soar to world-leading levels," said Guimaraes. "This progress, mirrored and amplified each year at the Canton Fair, has been directly responsible for our own growth and success in Brazil.".
From the outset, China has been more than just our largest sourcing market. It has been our strategic heartland - a place where we have nurtured deep partnerships, embraced innovation, and built a resilient supply chain that delivers quality, efficiency, and sustainability at scale, Stefan Hiergeist, country director of Lidl & Kaufland Asia, the sourcing arm of Lidl International and part of the Schwarz Group, Germany's largest retailer, said during a reception ceremony for the 138th Canon Fair.
"Throughout this journey, the Canton Fair has remained a constant for us - a cornerstone in our sourcing strategy and a gateway into China's evolving manufacturing landscape," said Hiergeis. "It is a place where technologies, bold product designs, and breakthrough innovations converge. It offers not only a view of what is available on the market today, but also a sense of where the industry is heading.".
New development path
The 68-year-old Canton Fair is not only a vital window for China's ongoing opening-up and integration into the global market, but is now a platform for companies from all over the world sharing China's opportunities and achieving mutual benefits.
From 1,233 merchants at the first session in April 1957 to more than 310,000 buyers at the 138th session, from a platform for earning foreign exchange through exports to the world's largest comprehensive trade fair, from a showcase of Made-in-China to a window into global manufacturing... The Canton Fair has witnessed the remarkable development of China's opening-up to the outside world, participants said.
Since the first session, the Canton Fair has condensed a "history of China's foreign trade development." Products displayed have shifted from the initial low-value-added agricultural products and primary products to mechanical and electrical products, and to intelligent products nowadays.
The 138th edition displayed more than 1 million new products that were developed within the past year, and nearly 1.1 million items with independent intellectual property rights, according to official statistics.
Since 2012, China has witnessed an extraordinary economic transition, with historic achievements in all aspects of the economy from its size to its quality. How could the economy maintain stable growth during a tumultuous period in the global geoeconomic landscape? In October 2015, at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared growth, guiding the country in overcoming various risks and challenges, and keeping alive the China economic miracle.
As China embarked on the quest to become a great modern socialist country amid global changes unseen in a century, the new development philosophy has been and will continue to be the guiding principle for development in China for years to come, and will have great significance for the world.
What does it mean for China and the world? To answer these questions, the Global Times has launched this special coverage on Xi's major economic speeches and policies, and how they are being put into practice to boost development in China and around the world.
A foreign audience checks a humanoid robot at the 138th China Import and Export Fair on October 25, 2025. Photo: VCG
"If I would use one word to describe the Canton Fair, it is 'new.' You can always find something new - new products, new services, new themes and many other aspects - at the biannual fair," Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, told the Global Times on Monday. He has been a Canton Fair participant for the last 20 years.
The 138th China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, concluded on Tuesday in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with several highlights - new themes, new products, new functions and new friends.
The Canton Fair remains full of surprises for veteran participants such as Zhu. However, for newcomers such as Abdelhamid Yousef, a buyer and distributor from Miami, this fair "is a must-visit to catch the latest innovations and high-tech products." Yousef was drawn by the new product-launch ceremony of a Shenzhen-based commercial intelligent robot company at the 138th edition,
"This is my first time at the Canton Fair, and I'm looking to purchase robots that can deliver food and packages inside buildings," Yousef told the Global Times, noting that China's robotics industry is way ahead with high-quality products.
New themes & products
The 138th edition of the fair, held from October 15 to November 4 in three phases, featured an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters. About 3,600 enterprises made their debut at the fair, according to the organizer.
This edition started with several notable "firsts" and highlights. From the perspective of exhibitors, this edition features over 10,000 high-quality enterprises out of the total 32,000 exhibitors, a record high, accounting for 34 percent of export exhibitors. The fair also showcased 353,000 smart products in total, the Global Times learned from the organizer.
The fair debuted a specialized smart healthcare exhibition zone, drawing 47 exhibitors showcasing surgical robots and wearable technology. The service robot zone, which was first set up in the 137th edition in April, continued to attract global buyers, the Global Times observed at the venue. A total of 46 leading industry firms exhibited embodied robots and robot dogs.
"The creation of new exhibition themes demonstrates how closely the Canton Fair follows industrial trend," said Zhu.
For example, at the 135th session of the Canton Fair in April 2024, a "low-altitude economy" exhibition area debuted. In March 2024, the term "low-altitude economy" was included in the Government Work Report for the first time.
"The increased presence of high-tech products displayed at the Canton Fair shows that China is transforming from a labor-intensive manufacturer to a major technology-driven industrial powerhouse, meaning that China can provide the world with a larger number of high-quality products with strong competitiveness and stable supply," Guo Wei, CMO of Shenzhen Intelligence.Ally Technology Co Ltd, (Allybot), told the Global Times at the Canton Fair.
New friends, old friends
This was only Guo's second time participating in the Canton Fair. Yet his participation represented the upgrading of Chinese industries and technological advancements, as new emerging industries brought new friends.
Meanwhile, the steady presence of long-time partners alongside a continuous stream of new buyers showcases growing global confidence in Chinese products.
For example, Guo said that they garnered potential orders exceeding 1 million yuan ($140,311) on the first phase (October 15 to 19) of the 138th edition, while the company expects a 300 percent year-on-year export growth for the full year.
At this 138th edition, the Canton Fair's global partners expanded by 18 to a record high of 227, covering 110 countries and regions, according to statistics from the organizer. Leading procurement firms were actively attending, exceeding 400 in number, reflecting foreign confidence in the China market.
"Over the past decade, our business has been transformed by this fair. It is our most important tool to stay ahead of global trends," Jesse Guimaraes, vice president of Qonexy lmport & Export Ltd, a Brazilian import company, said during a reception ceremony for the 138th Canton Fair on October 14. He said his personal journey with the Canton Fair began in 2011.
"Furthermore, I have been a firsthand witness to China's remarkable economic journey. I have seen the evolution firsthand: the shift from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China.' I have watched the rise of cutting-edge technologies and green products, and I have seen quality standards soar to world-leading levels," said Guimaraes. "This progress, mirrored and amplified each year at the Canton Fair, has been directly responsible for our own growth and success in Brazil.".
From the outset, China has been more than just our largest sourcing market. It has been our strategic heartland - a place where we have nurtured deep partnerships, embraced innovation, and built a resilient supply chain that delivers quality, efficiency, and sustainability at scale, Stefan Hiergeist, country director of Lidl & Kaufland Asia, the sourcing arm of Lidl International and part of the Schwarz Group, Germany's largest retailer, said during a reception ceremony for the 138th Canon Fair.
"Throughout this journey, the Canton Fair has remained a constant for us - a cornerstone in our sourcing strategy and a gateway into China's evolving manufacturing landscape," said Hiergeis. "It is a place where technologies, bold product designs, and breakthrough innovations converge. It offers not only a view of what is available on the market today, but also a sense of where the industry is heading.".
New development path
The 68-year-old Canton Fair is not only a vital window for China's ongoing opening-up and integration into the global market, but is now a platform for companies from all over the world sharing China's opportunities and achieving mutual benefits.
From 1,233 merchants at the first session in April 1957 to more than 310,000 buyers at the 138th session, from a platform for earning foreign exchange through exports to the world's largest comprehensive trade fair, from a showcase of Made-in-China to a window into global manufacturing... The Canton Fair has witnessed the remarkable development of China's opening-up to the outside world, participants said.
Since the first session, the Canton Fair has condensed a "history of China's foreign trade development." Products displayed have shifted from the initial low-value-added agricultural products and primary products to mechanical and electrical products, and to intelligent products nowadays.
The 138th edition displayed more than 1 million new products that were developed within the past year, and nearly 1.1 million items with independent intellectual property rights, according to official statistics.
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