The 139th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, will introduce nine new themed exhibition zones for the first time, featuring sectors such as consumer drones and smart wearables to align with evolving global trade demands.
At a press briefing on Friday, an official from the China Foreign Trade Center (CFTC) highlighted that 60 percent of participating enterprises now possess proprietary brands. Furthermore, more than one-third of these exhibitors are transitioning from simply selling products to exporting a comprehensive "product plus service" model, effectively positioning themselves as providers of systematic solutions.
To support this shift, the 139th session is closely aligning with the full lifecycle of product exports, branding, and global expansion. The fair is upgrading its comprehensive trade service stations to version 2.0, incorporating new services that cover research and development design, digital transformation, and trade investment support.
Zhu Yong, director of the China Foreign Trade Center, emphasized the fair's role in showcasing innovation and facilitating procurement through immersive experiences and a surge in new product launches.
"To serve as a trend indicator for new products, we will launch the first-ever 'Light of Design' immersive experience zone under the Canton Fair Design Innovation Award, to showcase the innovation journey of China's intelligent manufacturing. To become a must-visit destination for global procurement, we will host more than 600 new product launch events. Through livestreamed exhibition tours and other interactive formats, the number of new products to be released will increase by 27 percent, while the number of events focusing on emerging and future industries will rise by 30 percent," Zhu said.
Established in 1957 and held biannually, the Canton Fair has been the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China and is regarded as the barometer of the country's foreign trade.
The 139th edition of the fair is scheduled to open on April 15.
139th Canton Fair to feature new zones for consumer drones, smart wearables
China's newly approved Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is expected to help turn the northern border areas into a new frontier of opening-up.
China on Thursday released a plan for the establishment of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, bringing the total number of pilot free trade zones nationwide to 23. Leveraging its unique location linking Russia, Mongolia and wider Eurasia, the zone is designed to advance the country's high-level opening-up through policy support, industrial upgrading and improved connectivity.
The pilot FTZ covers 119.74 square kilometers and comprises three subzones in Hohhot, capital of the autonomous region, Manzhouli, a northern border city, and Erenhot, a land port on the China-Mongolia border, each tasked with differentiated functions and the development of industries tailored to local conditions.
Specifically, the Hohhot subzone will serve as a central hub, focusing on developing specialty industries and innovation clusters. The Manzhouli subzone will build on China-Russia-Mongolia cooperation to become an important gateway to Northeast Asia and Europe. The Erenhot subzone will tap into the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and serve as a model for cooperation with neighboring countries.
At the Hohhot Comprehensive Bonded Zone, a gold and silver refining project due to start operations will have an annual processing capacity of 100 tonnes of gold and 1,000 tonnes of silver.
The Manzhouli subzone will prioritize industries including the processing of imported resources, cross-border tourism, cross-border financial services and port services.
"Following the approval of the free trade zone, companies like ours are more confident in expanding our cross-border business further and broadening its scope. Specifically, we aim to achieve full coverage across the entire industrial chain," said Cui Rongzheng, head of Manzhouli Xincheng Supply Chain Limited Company.
Notably, in the first quarter of this year, the Erenhot Railway Port, a key hub on the "middle corridor" of the China-Europe Railway Express, handled a record-high 1,145 freight train trips, a 22.3 percent increase from last year, underscoring its role in stabilizing global supply chains and supporting foreign trade growth.
"The establishment of the Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone will strengthen links between border provinces and China's inland regions, and enhance cooperation between land ports, coastal ports and inland ports. It is expected to play a key role in improving the wellbeing of ethnic minority populations in the border areas and turning China's northern border areas into a new frontier of opening-up," said Wang Xuekun, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.
Inner Mongolia FTZ subzones to drive coordinated opening-up
