China’s advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

The first phase of the 140th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, highlights China's rapid advances in manufacturing, drawing global buyers to its wide display of cutting-edge technologies.

The fair opened in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Thursday with record shares of new and green products among its exhibits, with 32,000 companies gathering for the three-phase trade show. Advanced manufacturing takes the center stage in the first phase, which runs through Oct. 19.

During the first phase, over 12,000 exhibitors are displaying the newest developments in consumer electronics and home appliances, industrial manufacturing, lighting and electrical products, hardware and tools, and vehicles and two-wheelers. More than half are high-quality enterprises, including high-tech firms, enterprises that use specialized and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products, and champions in specialized manufacturing segments, up 8.2 percent from last year.

In 17 themed zones dedicated to emerging and future industries, cutting-edge achievements, such as drones, new energy storage, brain-computer interfaces, and next-generation display technologies, are on display, offering a full show that runs from core components and intermediate products to end products.

International buyers are crowding the show floor, comparing technical specifications and discussing customized solutions with Chinese suppliers.

"I think it's great. I think it's one of the best opportunities in the world to see so many vendors in one place and to find a lot of new and interesting products. Undoubtedly, in the last 10 years, China's supply chain efficiency and productivity has grown enormously," said Gavin Thomson, an American buyer.

"Actually, I've been to the Canton Fair 50 times around. China is innovating and creating high-value products. Actually, we are moving maybe 90 percent of our purchasing in China," said Christophe Benard, a French buyer.

The current edition of the fair, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, covers 1.55 million square meters and runs through Nov. 4.

More than 11,000 exhibitors are specialized manufacturers or leaders in niche markets. Nearly two-thirds of participating companies have adopted technologies such as artificial intelligence and the industrial internet.

New products make up 23.2 percent of exhibits while green products account for 26 percent, both record shares. The fair is set to host more than 700 product launch events, with the number of products to be unveiled rising 15 percent.

China’s advanced manufacturing takes center stage at Canton Fair

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for faster and stronger global action to protect biodiversity, warning that efforts to halt nature loss remain far behind international targets.

Speaking at a leaders' summit in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, Guterres urged countries to show "more action, more speed, and more will" ahead of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled for Oct 19-30.

"Halfway to 2030, Yerevan is our moment of accountability," he said, urging countries to assess their progress in protecting nature.

More than 1 million species face extinction, threatened by climate change, invasive species, overexploitation of natural resources and pollution, he warned.

Guterres said the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, had laid out a path to "make peace with nature," but progress remained uneven and far too slow.

Nearly 90 percent of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have set national biodiversity targets, while more than half have developed implementation plans. Since 2022, an additional 1.3 million square km of land and 6 million square km of ocean have come under formal protection, he said.

However, even if current national commitments are fulfilled, only 26 percent of land and 12 percent of marine areas would be protected by 2030, falling short of the global target of 30 percent for both. Funding also remains a major obstacle. Citing a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Guterres said biodiversity financing stood at less than half the annual target of 200 billion U.S. dollars set under the framework.

He said that "biodiversity is not a separate challenge, stressing its links to climate change, conflict, food insecurity and disease.

Guterres urged governments, financial institutions and businesses to accelerate implementation of the framework, calling for sustainable agriculture, circular economies, stronger environmental monitoring and stricter enforcement of existing laws.

UN chief urges faster action to protect biodiversity ahead of global summit