136th Canton Fair set to open with pre-registration of 138,000 overseas buyers

The 136th session of the China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, is set to open in Guangzhou on Tuesday, and 138,000 overseas buyers from 209 countries and regions have pre-registered for the event.

The fair will be held in Guangzhou in three phases between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4. This year, the fair has seen a significant surge in overseas buyer registrations, reflecting a 24 percent increase compared to the previous session.

Adding to this positive trend, 223 of the world's top 250 global retailers are expected to attend, many of which will participate in the form of delegation groups, showcasing the fair's growing influence in the international trade landscape.

Spanning an extensive 1.55 million square meters, the fair will feature 74,000 booths across 55 sections and 171 specialized zones. With preparations now finalized, organizers are poised to welcome participants from around the globe.

Aiming to strengthen international trade relations and promote economic cooperation, the Canton Fair is held in the spring and autumn seasons each year since the spring of 1957 in Guangzhou City, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, the country's economic powerhouse. It serves as a crucial platform for establishing new business partnerships, and is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.

136th Canton Fair set to open with pre-registration of 138,000 overseas buyers

136th Canton Fair set to open with 138,000 overseas buyers registered

The Erenhot Port, China's largest land port on the border with Mongolia, handled more than 3,900 China-Europe freight trains in 2025, with total cargo volume exceeding 4.5 million tonnes, both marking record highs, customs data showed.

The China-Europe freight trains exiting and entering the port totaled 3,986 in 2025, according to the data released by the China Railway Hohhot Group Co., Ltd.

In 2025, the port added new routes, including routes connecting Wuhu in east China's Anhui Province with Moscow, Russia, and Datong in north China's Shanxi Province with Selyatino, Russia.

Customs authorities have also taken a series of measures to enhance efficiency. Currently, the border inspection time for each train has been reduced to about 20 minutes.

As the sole transit port for the "middle corridor" of China-Europe freight train services, Erenhot now operates 75 routes, with an average of 12 trains passing through daily. These routes connect more than 70 cities in over 10 countries and regions, while also linking over 60 cities across China.

North China port handles record number of China-Europe freight trains, cargo volume in 2025