Why Canton Fair is still a big draw: 60% of overseas buyers are first-timers

The 137th China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, successfully concluded its spring session in Guangzhou. As of May 4th, a total of 288,938 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions attended the event, marking a 17.3% increase from the 135th session. On-site intended export deals reached USD 25.44 billion, up 3%. Countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for over 60% of the deals, making them a key driver of growth.

This year's Canton Fair welcomed 171,750 new buyers and 117,188 returning ones, representing increases of 14.6% and 21.4%, respectively. In other words, three out of every five buyers were attending the fair for the first time.

Emerging markets have become the largest source of attendees for the fair. A total of 187,450 buyers came from Belt and Road countries, up 17.4%, accounting for 64.9% of the total. Buyers from BRICS countries reached 72,417, a 24.1% increase. Attendees from RCEP member countriesstood at 64,808, up 6.9%, while buyers from Europe and the US totaled 51,862, reflecting a 3.4% rise.

Over 30,000 exhibitors showcased more than 4.55 million top-tier products at the Canton Fair, including 1.02 million new products, 880,000 green and low-carbon items, and 320,000 smart products. The event saw a surge in innovations across new products, technologies, designs, materials, and processes. Sustainability and intelligent design have become key levers for securing orders and expanding into new markets.

Of the 736 companies participating in the import zone, 67% were from Belt and Road countries. Exhibitors from Russia, Thailand, Turkey, and other regions reported fruitful results, having reached tentative cooperation agreements with numerous Chinese buyers. Their products are expected to enter the Chinese market quickly.

Industry insiders noted that the integration of domestic and foreign trade was a defining feature of this year's Canton Fair. Since 2008, the fair has shown a growing trend toward domestic sales. Amid mounting tariff tensions this year, export pressure and the awareness among companies to build domestic channels have accelerated this shift.

From launching the first-ever service robot zone to creating domestic sales platforms for exporters, and from a year-round online presence to a digitalized Canton Fair APP that covers everything from itinerary planning to customer engagement analysis, this "never-ending fair" is undergoing digital transformation. It is building a three-dimensional global trade platform that enables both "buy global" and "sell global."

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

每5名外商中就有3名首次踏足，“中国第一展”为何仍是人心所向？

第137届中国进出口商品交易会（以下简称“广交会”）在广州落下帷幕。截至5月4日，共有来自219个国家和地区的288938名境外采购商到会，较第135届广交会增长17.3%。现场意向出口成交254.4亿美元，增长3%。共建“一带一路”国家成交占比超六成，成为拉动成交增长的重要引擎。

这届广交会上，新采购商到会人数达171750人，老采购商有117188人，分别增长14.6%、21.4%。这意味着，每五位采购商中就有三位首次踏足这场盛会。

新兴市场是广交会最大客源地，共建“一带一路”国家采购商187450人，增长17.4%，占比达64.9%。金砖国家采购商72417人，增长24.1%。RCEP成员国采购商64808人，增长6.9%。欧美采购商51862人，增长3.4%。

超3万家参展企业在广交会现场带来超455万件全球顶流产品，其中新产品102万件、绿色低碳产品88万件、智能产品32万件。在这里，新产品、新技术、新设计、新材料、新工艺大量涌现，绿色低碳、智能化成为撬动订单和开拓市场的有力支点。

736家进口展企业中，67%来自共建“一带一路”国家，俄罗斯、泰国、土耳其等展团企业收获颇丰，已与多家境内采购商达成意向合作，产品有望快速进入中国市场。

业内人士认为，内外贸一体化也是本届广交会的一大特别之处。从2008年开始，广交会就展现出转内销的趋势，在今年关税战的大背景下，外贸压力和企业自身渠道的构建意识逐步加强，让外贸转内销的趋势更加突出了。

从首创服务机器人专区到为外贸企业搭建拓内销平台，从365天线上平台到能实现从行程规划到客户复盘全链路数字化的广交会APP，这场“永不落幕的展会”正以数字化革新，搭建起“买全球、卖全球”的立体通道。

文丨记者 孙绮曼 杭莹 王丹阳 沈钊

图丨记者 钟振彬

翻译丨曾敏

审校丨洪婷