Preparations for the 140th China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, are progressing smoothly.
The trade event is scheduled to be held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province from October 15 to November 4.
The fair will have an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters and feature 75,700 booths in 54 specialized zones. It will be staged in three distinct phases, each focusing on different product categories themed on "advanced manufacturing", "quality home life" and "better life."
"Preparations for the fair are going smoothly and booth applications for the export exhibition have been completed. Service robots, smart healthcare solutions, consumer drones, wearable devices, and prefabricated housing, and other cutting-edge products representing new quality productive forces will make their debut," said Ding Shuang, deputy head of the Canton Fair's business office.
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.
Preparations underway for 140th Canton Fair
China's total electricity consumption exceeded 8 trillion kilowatt-hours in the first three quarters with stable grid operations, while residential power use edged down due to a high base from last year's extreme heat, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said Friday.
Total power consumption reached 8.07 trillion kilowatt-hours from January to September, up 3.9 percent year on year. Electricity use in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries grew 3.4 percent, 4.1 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, while residential electricity consumption fell 0.3 percent.
"In the January-September period, residential electricity consumption declined. This was mainly because 2025 was China's most extreme high-temperature year since 1961, creating a significantly high baseline for cooling loads last summer. During this year's summer period, the national average temperature was lower than a year earlier, with more typhoons making landfall, staying longer and bringing broader rain belts. The cooler temperatures reduced cooling loads in the third quarter, driving down residential electricity use," said Xing Yiteng, deputy director of the Department of Development and Planning at the National Energy Administration.
Power usage patterns showed a clear divergence between old and new growth drivers, with high-tech sectors becoming the primary drivers of overall electricity growth. In the first three quarters, declines in industrial electricity consumption were mainly concentrated in real estate and energy-intensive industries, with cement, glass and construction down 8.1 percent, 10.7 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.
By contrast, electricity use in high-tech and equipment manufacturing combined expanded by nearly 10 percent, while internet data services and EV charging and battery-swapping services jumped 41.6 percent and 55.4 percent, respectively, maintaining strong momentum.
China's power consumption tops 8 trillion kWh in Q1-3: NEA
