On April 1st, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the situation of the 135th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair). Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister of Commerce and China's chief international trade negotiator, revealed that the 135th Canton Fair will be held in Guangzhou from April 15th to May 5th, with its online platform operating throughout the year.

The 135th Canton Fair boasts an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, with 28,600 companies participating in the export section, including over 4,300 new exhibitors, and 680 companies participating in the import section. Preliminary statistics show that over 93,000 buyers from 215 countries and regions have completed pre-registration, with more than 220 leading enterprises and business institutions confirming their organization of delegations to attend this edition.

"These figures all surpass those of previous editions," Wang Shouwen remarked, highlighting five notable characteristics of the fair's preparations:

Greater Innovation Vitality:The fair will feature over 5,500 national-level high-tech enterprises, manufacturing champions, and specialized "little giants," representing a 20% increase from the previous edition. It is estimated that over 1 million new products, 450,000 green products, and 250,000 products with independent intellectual property rights will be showcased, all experiencing growth compared to the previous edition.

Increased Digitization and Intelligence: Nearly 3,600 exhibitors will showcase products related to digital technology and intelligent manufacturing. They will present over 90,000 intelligent products, such as brain-machine interface bionic hands, automatic navigation transportation equipment, and AI translation machines. More than 50% of exhibitors actively apply digital technologies such as AI and big data analytics to transform production and operations. It is worth mentioning that from November 2023, to the present, the number of visitors to the Canton Fair online platform has increased by 137% year-on-year.

Greater Emphasis on Quality and Standards:All 28,600 Chinese companies participating in the fair are considered excellent representatives of China's foreign trade enterprises, with over 6,700 engaged in the formulation of international or Chinese standards. The common goal of all fair exhibitors is to offer products of higher quality and standards.

Better Support for Industrial Chain and Supply Chain Stability: While the fair primarily showcases consumer goods, the proportion of intermediate and capital goods exhibited has increased to 12% in recent years. The exhibition area for capital goods, particularly machinery, has grown by over 50% in the past five years, underscoring the increasing importance of capital and intermediate goods at the Fair. Research shows that over 80% of exhibitors have connected with more suppliers through the Fair, with 64% finding more suitable service providers, and 62% obtaining more efficient alternative production solutions.

Enhanced Services to Expand Interaction:Since its inception, the fair has attracted over 9.3 million overseas visitors and established partnerships with 195 global partners, effectively promoting trade exchanges and friendly relations between China and various countries and regions worldwide. To facilitate overseas buyers attending the Fair in China, 90% of diplomatic missions abroad reduced the processing time for visas to four working days. Research indicates that over 80% of overseas buyers are satisfied with this improvement.