At the ongoing 139th Canton Fair, a dedicated team of "bridge builders" is working behind the scenes to connect Middle Eastern buyers -- who are unable to travel to China due to flight restrictions and regional instability -- with Chinese exhibitors on the ground, ensuring that distance does not stand in the way of deal-making.
Held in three phases in south China's Guangzhou City from April 15 to May 5, the 139th Canton Fair, formally known as the China Import and Export Fair, brings together global buyers to explore a vast range of products at China's largest trade exhibition.
Coordinated by the China Foreign Trade Center's International VIP Services Division, the bridge-building initiative leverages live streaming, real-time matchmaking, and on-site coordination to overcome physical barriers. With the Middle East emerging as a key growth market for Chinese exports, the effort reflects a strategic push to maintain trade momentum even amid logistical challenges.
Lin Siqun, a senior manager with the division, is at the heart of this effort. His mission during the current session is to connect overseas buyers who cannot attend in person with Chinese suppliers actively exhibiting on the ground.
With flight restrictions affecting parts of the Middle East, many regional buyers face travel barriers despite strong purchasing intent. Lin juggles instant messages from abroad while coordinating on-site matchmaking.
"Due to the current situation in the Middle East and flight restrictions, they really cannot come, but they truly need to [participate in the event]. This is the schedule for the Canton Fair Phase II live streaming session focused on the Middle East market," he said.
To accommodate time zone differences and regional business practices, live streams targeting Middle Eastern buyers are scheduled for 15:00 Beijing Time (07:00 GMT). This timing, however, leaves Lin's team just three hours before the fair closes each day -- a narrow window to drive meaningful engagement.
Preparation is key. Lin and his colleagues pre-select local streamers with profound knowledge of Middle Eastern consumer preferences and meticulously plan their exhibition routes based on previously collected buyer inquiries.
"After each live streaming session, we will evaluate the response -- how many inquiries we can receive, how engaged the audience is. If a session proves popular, we will invite the streamer to visit the specific exhibitors' booths for on-site coverage. In this way, we can achieve precise matching between buyers and suppliers," Lin said.
The live stream itself becomes a dynamic marketplace: questions are asked and answered in real time, bridging physical distance with digital immediacy.
Li Zhuzhu, deputy head of the Hangzhou Trade Delegation, learned of the Middle East-focused initiative and approached Lin to explore participation opportunities for local specialty enterprises, hoping to leverage the Canton Fair's digital platform to boost overseas visibility for their products.
"The foreign trade center has engaged streamers speaking different languages, with different profiles, tailored to different product categories. We want to further convey this information to our enterprises," Li said.
Once an exhibitor confirms interest, Lin will act swiftly. He coordinates streamer assignments and personally escorts them to the relevant booths to ensure seamless execution.
On arrival, streamers will immediately begin showcasing products, highlighting key features and value propositions. Lin remains on standby throughout, ready to troubleshoot any technical or logistical issues that arise during the live streaming.
"Online viewership often exceeds 500 to 600 concurrent users. Those genuinely interested will engage interactively. Exhibitors can truly feel that there are real, demand-driven customers on the other side -- they see concrete data and authentic engagement," he said.
The model is already yielding results. During one recent session, a Dubai-based buyer named Ayman spotted a fully automatic unmanned car wash machine through streamer Ahmed's video feed. Unable to attend in person, Ayman asked Ahmed to return to the booth for a closer inspection and to clarify key details.
Ahmed, the Egyptian streamer facilitating the connection, noted the surge in real-time engagement following his posts.
"This is also asking about here the price after I shared. There's another person. He would interact with me here, this one. And then another one here," he said.
Separated by screens, time zones, and distances of thousands of kilometers, participants in the Canton Fair -- buyers, streamers, exhibitors, and coordinators -- are collectively building a bridge that transcends geography. After concluding their virtual negotiations, many have already made a promise: to meet in person at the next edition of the fair.
"Of course, I would be be so interested to plan [in planning] to go and visit next time," Ayman told Ahmed.
As global trade continues to evolve, the Canton Fair's hybrid approach -- blending physical exhibition with digital connectivity -- offers a blueprint for inclusive, resilient international commerce. For the "bridge builders" on the ground, every successful connection reaffirms a simple truth: business knows no borders.
Canton Fair's "bridge builders" keep trade flowing to Middle East despite travel barriers
