Canton Fair an ideal opportunity for local businesses to secure overseas orders

As the 135th China Import and Export Fair, more commonly known as the Canton Fair, opened in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Monday, a host of businesses are taking advantage of their home turf to seize orders in the international market.

Official data show that nearly 5,440 Guangdong-based companies are participating in the ongoing Canton Fair. They occupy more than 15,500 exhibition booths, accounting for 19 percent of the total exhibitors and 21.4 percent of the total stands in the event's export exhibition area.

The Guangdong trade legion includes high-tech businesses and companies with an edge in traditional industries, as well as champion manufacturers in niche segments, and specialized and innovative enterprises. Among them, the exhibitors with proprietary brands for export, high-tech products and eco-friendly operations have caught attention from overseas buyers.

The Canton Fair provides an important opportunity for face-to-face communication with customers, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the needs and expectations of businesspeople from different regions. It also enables a more comprehensive showcase of the latest technologies and products of exhibiting companies, participating business representatives said.

"This year has seen a major surge in orders from the European and American markets. We have made appointments with many old customers to meet at the Canton Fair, as they all want to see the new trends in the laser industry," said Li Wenyan, an executive in charge of foreign trade at Foshan Huibaisheng Laser Technology, a high-tech company based in Foshan, Guangdong province, which specializes in the research and development, production and sales of large and medium power laser equipment

The company has continuously increased its research efforts and developed new products to meet the new demands of overseas customers, Li said.

A buyer from abroad interacts with a robot made in Guangdong province at the Canton Fair being held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. SHI LEI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Since the opening of the first phase of the fair, running through to Friday, the Jiangmen Low-Altitude Economy Zone's pavilion has attracted numerous domestic and international merchants.

Xue Junzhao, sales director of Guangdong Zilink Aero Technology, a high-tech manufacturer based in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, which is participating in the zone's exhibition, was busy attending to the crowd.

The company, which began with aviation engines, has in recent years ventured into the drone market and independently developed a variety of hybrid-powered drones. As a newcomer to the Canton Fair, Xue is filled with anticipation. He said the overseas drone market has tremendous potential. On the first day of the fair, his company's booth attracted a host of inquiries. Xue said he wishes to explore the international market via the Canton Fair.

At the ongoing fair, a group of Guangdong-based businesses have set their sights on new areas such as the low-altitude economy, humanoid robots, and new energy, exhibiting a range of high-tech and high added-value products that represent new quality productive forces. In the practical interaction between industry and technology, the innovation and application of new technologies are continuously sparking new ideas.

Guangdong is set to make this session of the Canton Fair a wonderful and successful economic and trade event, Wang Weizhong, governor of the province, said at a recent meeting.

He called for maximum effort for the event to accomplish the province's annual economic and social development goals, putting emphasis on new quality productive forces, going all out to stabilize foreign trade, attract investment and encourage consumption.

The governor also encouraged officials from cities across the province to take proactive measures to ensure the Canton Fair is a success and capitalize on it to target international market demand and assist local businesses in securing orders.

As a foreign trade powerhouse, Guangdong is a driving force for China's foreign trade development and plays a stabilizing role in the trade landscape. Data from the Guangdong Sub-administration of the General Administration of Customs show that the province garnered 8.3 trillion yuan ($1.15 trillion) in foreign trade in 2023, a 0.3 percent rise year-on-year. Exports increased 2.5 percent to 5.4 trillion yuan while imports dropped 3.6 percent to 2.9 trillion yuan.

The province's foreign trade volume contributed 19.9 percent of the country's total in 2023, ranking first nationwide.

Guangdong will promote the improvement and efficiency of foreign trade through a series of initiatives. They include building export-oriented industry clusters; ramping up expansion in key overseas markets; establishing important product distribution hubs; developing new foreign trade business formats; fostering and strengthening related business entities and improving cross-border logistics systems, according to a recent provincial policy on promoting high-level opening-up.