The ongoing third phase of the 139th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in Guangzhou has put the spotlight on the integration of foreign trade and domestic sales, as exporters bring high-quality products into the home market while local brands step onto the global stage.
The five-day segment of the world's largest trade fair opened on Friday in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in the south, showing frontier achievements in fields such as smart healthcare, functional textiles, and green materials, with an exhibition area of 515,000 square meters and 25,000 booths.
In the textile and apparel exhibition hall, many companies display "available for domestic sales" labels, signaling that export-grade products are now being offered to Chinese consumers. For firms long reliant on overseas sales, domestic channels are becoming a new growth engine.
"By adapting the styles and material standards we sell at international market to the domestic market, we receive many repeat and return orders every year," said Zha Min, an exhibitor from Hubei Province.
"We have three operating teams focusing on products for domestic sales. Every day we shoot more videos in factories and on production lines to promote our products. Later, while attending overseas exhibitions, we will also pay more attention to livestream sales on domestic platforms," said Chen Xing, another exhibitor from Guangdong Province.
Beyond sales, companies are also stepping up overseas investment to strengthen trade and investment integration.
"This year we have increased investment in North Macedonia in Europe by 60 percent from last year. This helps us better meet customer demand, expand our market share, and achieve integrated domestic and foreign trade," said Xu Jianping, an exhibitor from Zhejiang Province.
According to analysts, Chinese exporters are shifting from contract manufacturing for a single market to comprehensive service providers that leverage both domestic and international resources.
They noted that aligning production lines, standards and quality allows export-grade products to directly enhance competitiveness at home, a move seen as essential to unlocking domestic demand.
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 the country's foreign trade.
The first phase of the 139th edition of the Canton Fair ran from April 15 to 19, followed by the second phase from April 23 to 27.
Canton Fair spotlights dual-market strategies of Chinese exhibitors
