The 138th China Import and Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair, opened last week in Guangzhou with a record 32,000 exhibitors largely focused on innovation and smart manufacturing, China Daily reports.
Running from 15 October to 4 November, this year’s autumn edition saw a surge in buyer registrations: more than 240,000 participants from 218 markets. That’s a 10 percent increase over the spring fair. Organisers said interest was particularly strong from the European Union, the US (despite trade tensions) and Belt and Road countries.
The fair features more than one million new products, including 800,000 making their debut. Among the new highlights are two themed exhibition zones centred around smart medical technologies and service robotics. Exhibitors include companies showcasing surgical robots, wearable health devices, humanoid robots and robotic dogs.
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Turkish home appliance company Arzum told China Daily was using the fair to gather insights into China’s latest technological developments. “Even though it’s held twice a year … you are [always] able to find something different, something innovative,” said chief product officer Canyigit Atay, noting his interest in the robotic coffee machines on offer.
Exhibitor Yuanhua Robotics, Perception and AI Technologies drew attention with a surgical robot that had already performed thousands of operations in the mainland and Hong Kong. The company’s founder and chairman, Li Aili, described the Canton Fair as a proven way to reach international buyers.
The Canton Fair is a premier export-focused trade fair held twice each year in Guangzhou since 1957. It’s widely viewed as a barometer for China’s foreign trade.
