Canton Fair draws global buyers, sets participation records

The 138th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, opened on Wednesday in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, showcasing the country's advanced manufacturing strength and welcoming a record number of buyers and exhibitors from around the world.

This session of the fair is divided into three phases, each lasting five days. The first phase, from October 15 to 19, focuses on advanced manufacturing, featuring products such as electronic appliances and industrial equipment, and brings together over 5,500 high-quality, specialized export enterprises.

At 09:00 on the opening day, thousands of international buyers poured into the exhibition venue to explore new products, negotiate orders, and keep pace with market trends.

According to the organizer, approximately 247,000 buyers from 218 countries and regions have pre-registered for the fair, a 10 percent increase from the last edition. In particular, participation from the European Union, the United States, and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative has seen notable growth.

A total of 74,600 booths have been set up for some 32,000 companies, with around 3,600 exhibitors participating for the first time. More than 10,000 of the exhibiting companies are national high-tech firms, manufacturing champions in niche markets, or SMEs using specialized and cutting-edge technologies, accounting for 30 percent of the total exhibitors.

The fair has also introduced new themed zones, such as a service robot display area, showcasing robotic innovations including humanoid robots and robot dogs.

One eye-catching highlight in the advanced manufacturing section is the humanoid robot Lingxi X2, developed by Zhiyuan Robotics. The all-white robot attracted buyers with its dance moves and flexible joint performance.

"We can upload a viral dance video from social media, and the robot can quickly learn and replicate it, usually in just one or two tries. Mass production will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, and our target is to deliver between 3,000 and 4,000 units," said Hu Zhuo, regional sales director at AgiBot.

Buyers, especially first-time participants, were impressed by the level of innovation.

"It's very nice. China is a big market. The AI robot is very nice," said a buyer from Morocco.

The fair wowed international visitors with cutting-edge AI technology. In the consumer electronics section, a leading domestic AR glasses company revealed several new models designed for global markets.

"We are the world's first to implement a 'look-to-pay' feature in AI glasses. They are also the lightest on the market. Total orders have exceeded 300,000 units. The domestic price is 3,299 yuan, and overseas it's 600 dollars," said Shao Huaqing, general manager of Hangzhou Lingban Technology's Overseas Division.

Canton Fair draws global buyers, sets participation records

The Chinese Embassy in South Africa on Monday held an event in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, to celebrate the launch of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng said that over the past seven decades, under the joint guidance of leaders from both sides, China-Africa people-to-people and cultural exchanges have continued to expand, yielding fruitful outcomes.

Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Wu said China and Africa need to uphold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity and mutual assistance, and enhance exchanges and cooperation more than ever before.

Taking the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-people Exchanges as an opportunity, Wu called for upholding the original aspiration of friendship, solidifying the foundation of cooperation, enhancing two-way efforts, and accelerating the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, South Africa's deputy minister of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, said South Africa and China enjoy strong and historic bonds of friendship as close international cooperation partners in the political, economic, social, technical and multilateral domains.

"The significance of people-to-people is really about how we elevate the people's life to a just and equitable stance that we want to see. We want a better Africa; we want a better world. And that for us is significant," said Letsike.

"Through people-to-people exchanges, we promote mutual understanding, and that is the basis of building mutual trust, building peaceful coexistence. People-to-people exchange is a very important instrument for peace and mutual understanding," said Bongani Maimele, director of international relations with South Africa's National School of Government.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held at the African Union headquarters on Jan 8. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides will jointly host nearly 600 cultural and people-to-people exchange activities in 2026 to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, and promote mutual understanding and connection between the peoples.

Organizing the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important consensus reached by leaders from both sides at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit in 2024.

Chinese Embassy in South Africa unveils 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges