Published by ChinaMNC · Kaifu

Canton Fair 140th Session Opens: What Foreign Founders Should Know

The 140th Canton Fair opened in Guangzhou on October 15, drawing about 340,000 overseas buyers and roughly 32,000 exhibitors. Here is what foreign founders building or running a China-based company should note about the sourcing, supplier and service-provider landscape on show.

A Major Sourcing Event Opens in Guangzhou

The 140th China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, opened in Guangzhou on October 15. For foreign founders registering or operating a company in China, the event is a useful window into the supplier base, industrial categories and trade services available in the domestic market.

According to the source, about 32,000 companies are exhibiting across the full session, and around 340,000 overseas buyers are attending to source goods. Those figures indicate the scale of the buyer and supplier community that a foreign-owned company may encounter when building procurement or sales links in China.

Phase One Focuses on Advanced Manufacturing

The fair runs in three phases from October 15 to November 4. Phase one, titled “Advanced Manufacturing,” features more than 12,000 exhibitors. Among them, more than 6,000 are described as quality exhibitors, including high-tech enterprises, specialized and innovative firms, and single-product champions.

For founders assessing manufacturing partners, this concentration of suppliers in one phase may help narrow the search. The source does not provide a breakdown by product category beyond the phase themes, so founders should still verify individual suppliers independently.

Sectors and Special Zones on Display

Phase one is organized around the trends of “new, green and intelligent,” according to the source. It focuses on global sourcing hotspots such as new energy, intelligent manufacturing and embodied intelligence.

The phase includes 17 special zones for emerging future industries, covering areas such as service robots, drones and display technology. It also brings together outcomes in new quality productive forces, including new-type energy storage, high-end chips and artificial intelligence visualization products.

• Service robots: represented in a dedicated future-industry zone.
• Drones: included among the emerging industry zones.
• Display technology: featured as a specialized zone.
• New energy and intelligent manufacturing: named as global sourcing hotspots for the phase.
• High-end chips and AI visualization products: presented as examples of new quality productive forces.

Trade Services for Production-Oriented Operations

In the trade services exhibition area, nine trade service zones are organized around production-oriented services. According to the source, this is the first time the fair has achieved full coverage of ten major categories of production-oriented services.

For a foreign founder setting up or running a China company, this section may be relevant when looking for service providers that support manufacturing and production activities. The source does not list the ten categories, so the specific services available should be confirmed on site or through official fair channels.

New Product Launches and Exhibition Scale

The current session plans to host more than 700 new product launch events. The number of products released is reported to be up 15 percent. The fair has also set up a new product launch display area for the first time.

These details suggest that exhibitors are using the fair not only for order-taking but also for introducing new offerings. Foreign founders sourcing products or evaluating partners may find the launch program useful for spotting newer product lines, though the source does not specify which companies or sectors are participating in each launch.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

Based on the source, foreign founders can treat the Canton Fair as a large-scale gathering of Chinese exhibitors and overseas buyers. The reported numbers — about 32,000 exhibitors and about 340,000 overseas buyers — indicate the breadth of participation.

The three-phase structure, running from October 15 to November 4, means the relevance of the fair depends on which phase matches a founder’s sector. Phase one’s advanced manufacturing theme and its 17 future-industry zones may be most relevant to founders in robotics, drones, displays, new energy, chips and AI-related products.

The trade services area, with nine zones and full coverage of ten major production-oriented service categories for the first time, may be relevant to founders seeking support services for production-oriented operations. However, the source does not name specific service providers or describe eligibility requirements.

Founders should note that the source reports attendance and exhibition figures but does not provide verified supplier credentials, pricing, or contractual terms. Any sourcing or partnership decision should be based on independent due diligence and, where appropriate, professional advice.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.