Introduction of the 137th Canton Fair China

Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is the window, epitome and symbol of China's opening up and an important platform for international trade cooperation. It plays a key role in advancing the development of China’s foreign trade and the economic and trade exchanges between China and the rest of the world. It is renowned as “China’s No. 1 Fair”. The Canton Fair is co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of PRC and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and organized by China Foreign Trade Centre. Since its establishment in 1957, the Canton Fair has been held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, China, for 136 sessions. It is a comprehensive international trading event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete exhibit variety, the largest buyer attendance, the most diverse buyer origin and the greatest business turnover in China. The 136 th Canton Fair attracted overseas buyers from 224 countries and regions. Among them, 253,000 attended the Fair onsite, surpassing the mark of 250,000 for the first time and reaching a record high. 450,000 overseas buyers attended the Fair online. The 137 th Canton Fair is scheduled to open on April 15, with a total exhibition scale of 1.55 million square meters. The coming session will provide global buyers with a one-stop trading platform featuring complete exhibit variety, quality products with competitive price, and convenient, efficient and reliable services. Highlights of the 137 th session are as follows.

First, excellent exhibition structure.

Phase 1 focuses on “advanced manufacturing”. In addition to conventional industries such as Machinery, Hardware, Tools, Lighting Equipment, and Electrical and Electronic Products, a large number of cutting-edge technologies and intelligent products will be showcased in sections such as Household Electrical Appliances, New Energy Vehicles and Smart Mobility, Industrial Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, and New Energy Resources. Phase 2 is marked by “quality home life”. Building and Decorative Materials, Home Decorations, and Gifts sections register an exhibition area of over 130,000 square meters respectively, which can fully meet the diversified demands of global buyers seeking exquisite home products. Under the theme of “better life”, Phase 3 will exhibit products from sectors of Health and Recreation Products, Toys, Children, Baby and Maternity Products, and Fashion to meet the sourcing demand for new 3 consumption.

Second, high quality exhibitors.

Among over 43,000 enterprises participating onsite and online, more than 8000 high-quality companies are specialized and sophisticated small and medium enterprises, manufacturing single champions, national high-tech enterprises, green manufacturer, and national technological innovation demonstration enterprises recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. There are also a large number of characteristic enterprises recommended by provinces and cities.

Third, abundant distinctive products.

Various innovative products will be unveiled. Products in Phase 1 will highlight new quality productive forces. The latest achievements in fields such as new energy resources and intelligent connected vehicles will be presented. High-end and intelligent products such as intelligent bionic hands and bendable televisions will be showcased in the “Smart Life” Zone. Products in Phase 2 and 3 will emphasize design innovation, green and low-carbon features, as well as personalization and customization. The Canton Fair operates its online platform on a regular basis. Exhibiting companies will upload more than 3.7 million products. Buyers can watch and experience products up close onsite, and also attend the Fair virtually on the online 4 platform at any time to feel the innovative vitality of “Intelligent Manufacturing in China” from multiple dimensions. 

Fourth, diverse supporting activities.

“Trade Bridge” matchmaking series events will be staged to show the new features of 137th Canton Fair. Unfolding in “screen to screen”, “face to face”, “face to screen” and “screen + face” forms, the events facilitate efficient matchmaking between exhibitors and buyers. Focusing on the needs of overseas buyers and the highlights of the Fair, “Discover Canton Fair with Bee & Honey” activity will be hosted and aired on the Fair’s official website and social media pages, presenting a comprehensive image of the Fair for buyers. Approximately 20 conferences and forums themed around digital trade, key market analysis, industry innovation and development will be held to provide high-quality information on economy and trade for buyers. To serve exhibiting enterprises, over 300 industry-and-market-oriented Canton Fair New Collection events will create a platform for product release at the Canton Fair. The 2025 Canton Fair Design Award will call for participation in spring, select winners in summer, and present the award in autumn. The award will be given to cutting-edge products that combine design and commercial value to reflect the advanced manufacturing of China.

Fifth, improved convenience of attending the Canton Fair.

To facilitate the attendance of global buyers, the self-service badge terminals will be put into use at the 137th session. The Fair continues to provide pre-registration and badge application at alternative registration offices prior to the Fair. New overseas buyers can apply for badges at Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Pazhou Ferry Terminal Guangzhou and designated hotels or scan the pre-registration code and get the badge application receipt in advance to attend the Canton Fair more conveniently. To provide convenient and efficient online services, the functions of the Canton Fair official website on PC and mobile device, and Canton Fair APP will be optimized to facilitate buyers in searching for exhibitors and products online, and to enable instant communication with exhibitors. 

The International Pavilion was inaugurated in the 101st session to promote balanced growth of import and export and to help international companies explore markets. After 36 sessions of development, over 18,000 overseas enterprises from more than 110 countries and regions have participated in the International Pavilion as high-quality national and regional pavilions, including many world-renowned enterprises. The International Pavilion of the 137th Canton Fair has opened application. High-quality international enterprises are welcomed to participate in and 6 share global business opportunities. 

Canton Fair Product Design and Trade Promotion Center (PDC), since its establishment in the 109th session, has served as a design service platform to bridge “Made in China” with “Designed by World” and to facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation between excellent designers from all over the world and quality Chinese companies. For the 137th Canton Fair, PDC will continue to pool global design innovation resources. By holding a variety of activities, PDC will provide various forms of display and exchange platform for domestic and overseas design agencies, exhibitors and buyers.

The Canton Fair not only promotes the development of China’s foreign trade, but also witnesses China’s IPR protection, especially the progress of IPR protection in the exhibition industry. A comprehensive chain of intellectual property protection before, during, and after the exhibition has been established. Moreover, an IPR dispute settlement mechanism has also been built, which is relatively complete and suits the Fair’s practical situation and online-offline integration. Therefore, the Canton Fair has raised the exhibitors’ awareness on IPR protection and demonstrated the Chinese government’s determination of respecting and protecting IPR. IPR protection at the Canton Fair has set the pattern for 7 Chinese exhibitions; the just, professional and efficient dispute settlement has won the trust and recognition of Dyson, Nike, Travel Sentry Inc, Sanrio, etc.

The schedule of the onsite exhibition of the 137th Canton Fair:

Phase 1: April 15-19, 2025;

Phase 2: April 23-27, 2025;

Phase 3: May 1-5, 2025;

The intervals: April 20-22 and April 28-30, 2025.

The online platform will be open for half a year: from March 16 to September 15, 2025. The Canton Fair's online platform displays the same sections as those of the onsite exhibition. The online platform consists of three main parts: exhibitors and products, matchmaking, and cross-border E-commerce. It is available on PC, H5, and Canton Fair APP. The main features are as follows. First, comprehensive functions and services.

The online platform of Canton Fair offers a variety of functions and services, including exhibitor and products, matchmaking, new collection, and exhibitors on live. It 8 provides support for both online and onsite exhibitions. Second, precise and professional search. Buyers can filter products based on industry categories, countries and regions, product types, enterprise types, and keywords. The search is professional, precise, and efficient, helping buyers quickly identify exhibitors and products of interest.

Third, convenient matchmaking.

Buyers can contact exhibitors through various means such as posting sourcing request, instant messaging, scheduling an appointment, and sending business cards. Or, after buyers add an exhibitor or a product to favorites, exhibitors can start instant messaging for more convenient communication.

Fourth, stable and smooth operation.

The online platform is deployed on a public cloud, which offers higher operational efficiency and can quickly respond to changes in user needs. Utilizing industry-leading overseas acceleration technology for public cloud and relying on global network acceleration (CDN) nodes distributed in more than 50 countries and regions, it provides a smoother experience for users.

Fifth, practical and convenient APP.

As an extension of the online 9 platform, the Canton Fair APP encompasses a vast amount of exhibits information, and allows quick search for exhibitors' information. Fair Assistant can help buyers plan exhibition routes in advance, thus improving attendance efficiency. Two major functions--Instant Messages and Sourcing Request enable buyers to engage in quick matchmaking with exhibitors. The APP also provides practical functions for buyers such as pre-registration, buyer badge application, points and vouchers, and on-site guidance. 

The 137th Canton Fair exhibition sections