The second phase of the 139th China Import and Export Fair, which started on Thursday in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, has been packed with buyers from around the world who seek to source quality home furnishings at the event.
Also known as Canton Fair, the event is held in three phases from April 15 to May 5, 2026. The first phase concluded on Sunday, and the second phase is running through next Monday.
Spanning an area of 515,000 square meters, the exhibition space features 25,000 booths in three sections, namely housewares, gifts and decorations, and building materials and furniture. It has also set up four special exhibition areas for fashion jewelry and bamboo and wooden tableware.
The ongoing second phase has drawn over 10,000 participating enterprises.
Bereket from Ethiopia is scouting doors, windows, tiles, and bathroom fixtures for his apartment project. He placed three orders on Thursday afternoon.
"We made three agreements, so we paid 3,000 dollars. I'm happy. The total value is 60,000 or 70,000 dollars," Bereket said.
"We have been very busy. I just read our team's report at 15:00. It said we had reached more than 100 deals, mostly with our partners from Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East," said Wang Lili, a Chinese exhibitor.
At another booth, a new type of waterproof wallpaper has drawn several buyers from Kenya, who are having extended talks with the Chinese exhibitor, trying to get a favorable price and become the exclusive agent of the product in Kenya.
"So these are new materials I want to introduce in Kenya. So (we hope the sellers) give us good price and minimum gross," said Allan, one of the Kenyan buyers.
Giselle Bonet, a buyer from Venezuela, hails the vast opportunities created by the Canton fair in China.
"Because China is the biggest producer and exporter in the world. Here, the prices, the capacity of production, and the opportunities are more than everywhere else. China is the leader of the world trade. It's true. I think it's the best," she said.
Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is held twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and has been hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.
Quality home furnishings lure global buyers at Canton Fair
