This Tuesday marks the closing day of the 138th Canton Fair. However, among the lingering crowds in the exhibition halls, stories for cooperation have just begun.
During this fair, the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development — a blueprint for China’s development over the next five years — was released. The document points out important arrangements for promoting the innovative development of trade.
Canton Fair features higher ratio of innovation content, outstanding intelligent manufacturing capabilities, and a broader circle of friends. Expectations that balance market demands, industrial transformation, and wishes for a better life are reflected in every booth and order.
Leveraging profound industrial heritage, sharp market insight, and steady green transformation, Chinese traders at this fair achieved impressive results in both traditional and emerging markets.
Traditional markets, especially those in developed economies such as Europe, the United States and Japan, have become the basis of orders and key profit source for Shandong’s foreign trade firms.
At this air, Shandong exhibitors not only stabilized traditional markets through product iteration and quality upgrading but also achieved breakthroughs in high-end and green development.
Shandong Fangsi Import and Export from Linyi has attended Canton Fair three times. Starting with a single type of wood panel, the company now provides whole-house customization solutions. At this fair, they secured intended orders worth about $1.2 million, with European buyers accounting for over one-third of the total.
“Our solid wood panels have a moisture content precisely controlled between 8 and 12 percent to ensure product stability in different climates. Our environmentally friendly ecological panels have obtained authoritative international certifications, such as California Air Resources Board and US Environmental Protection Agency certifications. Our density boards adopt formaldehyde-free technology, giving us confidence when facing European buyers with strict environmental requirements,” said the company’s head.
Weifang Like Economic and Trade also remained positive in traditional markets. Specializing in environmentally friendly microfibers, the company holds multiple certifications including High-Tech Enterprise and “gazelle enterprises”.
“Eighty percent of our products are exported to Europe, the US, Japan, and South Korea,” said a company representative. At this fair, Like’s patented “Everplush” towels attracted numerous buyers from traditional markets with their softness, water absorption, and durability. Many European buyers have signed intended orders.
Emerging markets involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, RCEP member states, and BRICS countries demonstrated potential at this session of Canton Fair. Many exhibitors keenly captured this trend and adjusted their market strategies, taking green, intelligent, and cost-effective products as “weapons” to explore new markets.
In the home textiles exhibition area of the fair, Muhammad, a textile buyer from Egypt, stayed at the booth of Xinchang Kaixin Textile for a long time, exchanging details with the enterprise team on the wear resistance, environmental standards, and delivery cycles of high-strength polyester sewing threads. He was impressed by the stable product performance, the factory’s large-scale supply capacity, the enterprise’s raw material traceability system and strict quality control standards.
“This is exactly the characteristic I need to develop in the Egyptian and North African markets,” the buyer said. The products will fill the local supply gap of high-end sewing threads, facilitating the expansion in North African markets.
After negotiations, the two parties signed a procurement contract for high-strength polyester sewing threads worth 1.4 million yuan ($196,560).
The trend of diversified exports of food and agricultural products was evident at this session of Canton Fair.
According to an official of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products, Fujian tea enterprises launched innovative deep-processed products such as matcha biscuits and matcha chocolate at this fair, which are quickly entering emerging markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Guizhou matcha enterprises, relying on their complete organic certification system, have widely applied their products in fields such as ice cream and baking, realizing the shift from raw materials exporters to food solution providers.
The chamber’s official noted that the positive signals released by China-US economic and trade talks have injected vitality into the market and significantly boosted the confidence of agricultural product enterprises exporting to the US.
“US buyers actively inquired about product categories such as carpets and candies, reflecting their recognition of Chinese products in the US and expectations for stable bilateral trade.”
Statistics released by the Chinese Customs show that from January to September, China’s exports of textiles and clothing to BRI countries reached $119.65 billion, accounting for 54 percent of China’s total exports of textiles and clothing.
A survey conducted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel at this session of Canton Fair shows that textile and clothing exhibitors generally regard expanding into BRI countries and emerging markets as a priority and are optimizing their supply chain layouts to fit the markets.
Source: China Foreign Trade Centre
