Overseas buyers have extended their journey from exhibition halls to factories after the second phase of the 139th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, concluded in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province.
The second phase, held from April 23 to 27, focused on "quality home life," including building materials, furniture, household products, gifts and decorations.
Many overseas buyers have taken their engagement a step further by visiting manufacturers' production facilities in person to inspect operations and explore cooperation opportunities.
A leading customized home furnishing company based in Guangzhou has been very busy in the wake of the fair's second phase. The company has been inundated with requests from international buyers eager to tour its factories, negotiate deals and place orders.
"In the past two days alone, we have already received more than 50 groups of overseas visitors at our factory. We expect another 40 to 50 batches of clients to visit in the coming days," said An Yujin, head of the overseas business department of the enterprise.
International buyers visiting the factory hail from a wide range of regions, including Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Many initially had reservations about the company's capacity for large-scale production and its ability to maintain consistent quality.
However, after touring the smart factory and seeing its automated production lines, they cleared their doubts and showed strong interest in deeper cooperation.
"The factory was actually very impressive. I've been to many factories around the world. [For] this one with the amount of AI technology and [where] there were robotics that are going through, it was actually quite impressive. Our big question always comes down to quality and standard -- can they maintain the same quality with large volume? And it seems like they answered that for us today," said a Canadian buyer.
The Canton Fair runs from April 15 till May 5 in three phases, each highlighting categories from advanced manufacturing to home living and lifestyle products. Covering 1.55 million square meters, the fair features 75,700 booths and more than 32,000 enterprises, including about 3,900 first time exhibitors.
Established in 1957, the Canton Fair takes place 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.
Overseas buyers head from showrooms to factory floors following Canton Fair visit
