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China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

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China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

2024-10-17 02:31 Last Updated At:14:07

China's advanced manufacturing is one of the primary focuses of the first phase of the on-going 136th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, with buyers from around the world looking for the latest products developed by Chinese innovators.

The 136th session of the fair kicked off on Tuesday in south China's Guangzhou City, with a record number of exhibitors exceeding 30,000.

Themed "Serving high-quality development, promoting high-level opening-up," this edition of the fair is showcasing 1.15 million new products, 241 of the world's top 250 retailers and leading multinational corporations in attendance.

Many new Chinese companies, products and technologies are making their debut in front of nearly 150,000 overseas buyers from over 200 countries and regions.

Thousands of buyers have made it a top priority to visit the main exhibition area for automation and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

"Our boss has his own factory in Russia. That's why he's looking maybe for some new machineries. He says that the quality of Chinese machineries are quite good. Sometimes we buy machinery from here," said Nikita Efremov, company representative of Russian firm Euro-lift.

"I come from Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, and I'm looking for machinery for packaging, paper packaging. That's why I'm here. I'm very happy to be here because I can see everything is amazing. China products are competitive in terms of price, in terms of quality, and in terms of good suppliers, you have good suppliers here," said Edith Sika, director general of Sparkline, an Ivorian company founded in 2012.

After visiting the fair, many global buyers say they have been impressed by China's progress in technology and production.

"For the last 10 years, China is different. Now it’s 2024, witnessing the most advanced and developed technology in China and over the world. I can see in the Canton, many people coming from everywhere in the world over all the world. And everyone is looking for the China technology and China production line, China products. This shows that China has had a lot of progress in this term,” said Yousif Algabri, managing director of Medeast Instruments, a company specializing in medical equipment for hospitals, clinics and medical colleges.

Covering a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, the fair will be held in three phases between Oct. 15 and Nov. 4, with the first phase lasting five days.

Launched in 1957, the Canton Fair is the country's oldest and largest trade fair. Held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, it is seen as a significant barometer of China's foreign trade.

China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

China's advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

The recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing has impressed international guests with its focus on deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, highlighting how China's innovative advances are reshaping daily life.

The five-day forum, themed "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," wrapped up in Chinese capital on Sunday after bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions around the world.

More than 560 cutting-edge achievements were unveiled at the event, ranging from embodied intelligent robots and brain-computer interfaces to breakthroughs in quantum applications and 6G research and development.

The venue for the forum also showcased a number of these innovative creations to visitors, who were able to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee prepared by a humanoid barista, as well as be throughly entertained by robots performing dances or even playing piano.

Given the presence of these advanced humanoid robots, international participants shared the common view that innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but is now permeating every aspect of daily life.

"The deepest impression is actually to see how much AI is across everywhere," said Anders Karlsson, vice president of Elsevier, a global leader providing advanced information and decision support to accelerate progress in science and healthcare worldwide.

"The Zhongguancun Forum has become a very international window on innovation. We can find out annually how innovation is driving [and a key] component of growth of this wonderful country," said Vincenzo Lipardi, president and co-founder of SPICI, an Italian company assisting businesses and startups with strategic consulting services.

"As a scientist and as a worker of the United Nations system, I'm really pleased to see integration of science, technology and sustainability," said Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.

One of the forum's key themes was around opening up and striving for greater cooperation, which demonstrated to the wider world that China's innovation aims to break down barriers and share opportunities, so as to enable the global community to advance together.

"It's my first time attending the forum. And I'm very surprised that you have a very high level of innovation. China is open to ideas. Openness is the way to make innovations," said Prof. Hussein Sherief, a member of the International Committee for Scientific and Technical Data (CODATA).

Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum

Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum

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