As China’s oldest and largest comprehensive international trade event, the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) has always been a weathervane for global trade. According to the latest official information, the 138th Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou from October 15 to November 4, 2025, and preparations have been fully launched. This news provides clear time guidance for global buyers, exhibitors and trade practitioners, and also indicates that China’s foreign trade will once again welcome the global market with an open attitude.
1. Time arrangement: Covering the entire industrial chain in three phases
The 138th Canton Fair will continue to use the “three-phase exhibition” model, with each phase focusing on different industrial fields to form the exhibition characteristics of “precise docking and efficient transactions”:
The first phase (October 15-19): Focusing on industrial manufacturing, electronic appliances, vehicles and two-wheelers, it will showcase cutting-edge products such as high-end equipment, intelligent manufacturing, and new energy technologies to attract global industrial buyers.
The second phase (October 23-27): Focus on the three major sectors of household goods, gifts and decorations, building materials and furniture, covering market segments such as smart home, green building materials, creative design, etc., to meet the needs of consumption upgrades.
The third phase (October 31-November 4): Focusing on the livelihood areas such as toys and maternity and infant products, fashion, home textiles, stationery, health and leisure, and adding a “rural revitalization” zone to promote characteristic agricultural products and traditional crafts to the international market.
In addition, the online platform will be opened in advance on September 16, 2025, and will last until March 15, 2026. Through the “digital exhibition hall + live broadcast + supply and procurement docking” model, it breaks the time and space limitations and provides global merchants with uninterrupted trade services throughout the year.
2. Highlights of preparation: Focus on key markets and deepen supply-purchase docking
The preparation work of this Canton Fair presents three major innovations:
Global roadshow precision invitation: The organizing committee has launched a global key city tour promotion, and has specifically invited the world’s top 250 retail companies, industry head buyers and chambers of commerce in countries along the “Belt and Road” to ensure that high-quality buyers attend the fair.
Normal supply-purchase docking: Relying on the “Trade Bridge” platform of the Canton Fair, collect procurement needs in advance, match exhibitors, organize online pre-docking, and improve on-site transaction efficiency. For example, special docking meetings will be arranged for hot areas such as new energy vehicles and smart homes.
Expansion of the rural revitalization area: Continuing the successful experience of the previous session, further expanding the scale of the rural revitalization exhibition area, focusing on displaying local specialty agricultural products, intangible cultural heritage handicrafts and rural tourism services, and helping rural revitalization and international trade to deeply integrate.
3. Historical review: The Canton Fair continues to empower China’s foreign trade
Since its establishment in 1957, the Canton Fair has always been an “important window” and “golden signboard” for China’s opening up to the outside world. Take the recent sessions as an example:
The 137th Canton Fair (April 15-May 5, 2025): The exhibition area reached 1.55 million square meters, with more than 30,000 exhibitors and on-site intended transaction volume of US$25.44 billion, a year-on-year increase of 3%. Among them, the emerging industry exhibition areas such as new energy and intelligent manufacturing have active transactions, becoming a new engine for foreign trade growth.
The 136th Canton Fair (October 15-November 4, 2024): The number of offline exhibitors exceeded 30,000, 1.15 million new products were exhibited, and the export intention transaction volume was US$24.95 billion, an increase of 1% over the previous session. The online platform attracted buyers from 229 countries and regions around the world to register, with more than 4 billion visits.
The 135th Canton Fair (April 15-May 5, 2024): There were more than 4,300 new exhibitors, and the import exhibition attracted companies from 68 countries and regions to participate, becoming an important platform for Chinese and foreign companies to share market opportunities.
4. Looking to the future: Canton Fair and global trade grow together
The 138th Canton Fair is being held at a critical time for China to build a new development pattern. With the full implementation of RCEP and the in-depth promotion of high-quality development of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, the Canton Fair will continue to play the role of a bridge to “connect domestic and international dual circulations” and provide a more efficient cooperation platform for global trading partners through digital upgrades, green transformation, and professional services.
For exhibitors, it is necessary to plan the layout of exhibits in advance and focus on emerging market demand; for buyers, they can register and make appointments through the Canton Fair official website in advance to improve the efficiency of participating in the fair. Whether it is looking for new suppliers, expanding new markets, or exploring industry trends, the 138th Canton Fair will be a trade feast that cannot be missed.
In October 2025, Guangzhou Pazhou, let us go to this global trade appointment together!
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