Published by ChinaMNC · Xupu

Canton Fair 140th Session: What Foreign Founders Should Know About China's Largest Trade Expo

A practical briefing for foreign founders on the 140th Canton Fair in Guangzhou: exhibitor and buyer scale, the Advanced Manufacturing theme, emerging-industry zones, trade services coverage, and the three-phase schedule with new-product launches.

Why the 140th Canton Fair Matters for Foreign Founders

The 140th session of the China Import and Export Fair, widely known as the Canton Fair, opened in Guangzhou on 15 October. For foreign founders building a China-based company or sourcing from Chinese suppliers, the fair remains one of the most concentrated opportunities to meet manufacturers, compare suppliers, and observe where Chinese industry is heading. This briefing summarises the facts published by the Hunan Provincial People's Government portal and translates them into practical points for founders.

Scale of the Fair: Exhibitors and Overseas Buyers

According to the source, approximately 32,000 companies are exhibiting across the full session, and roughly 340,000 overseas buyers are expected to attend for procurement. Those numbers matter for planning: with buyers at that volume, meeting schedules fill quickly, and founders should decide in advance which halls and product categories deserve their time.

Phase One: Advanced Manufacturing

Phase One is themed "Advanced Manufacturing." More than 12,000 exhibitors are participating in this phase, including over 6,000 high-quality exhibitors classified as high-tech enterprises, specialised and sophisticated SMEs, and single-product champions. For founders looking for manufacturing partners with technical depth rather than pure trading intermediaries, Phase One is the phase to prioritise.

What Phase One Showcases

The source states that Phase One is organised around the trends of "new, green and intelligent," focusing on global sourcing hotspots such as new energy, smart manufacturing, and embodied intelligence.

• 17 emerging future-industry zones, covering areas including service robots, drones, and display technology.
• New quality productive forces on display, including new energy storage, high-end chips, and AI visualisation products.
• Nine trade service zones in the trade services exhibition area, organised around producer services.

The source notes that this is the first time all ten major categories of producer services are covered. For a foreign founder, that coverage is directly relevant: producer services typically include the supporting functions a company needs to operate and trade, such as logistics, design, certification, finance, and related professional services. Being able to compare providers in one place can shorten the supplier and service-provider search considerably.

Practical Takeaway for Founders

If your China entity is at the stage of selecting manufacturing partners or building a supply chain, Phase One's concentration of high-tech and specialised exhibitors, plus the emerging-industry zones, gives you a targeted shortlist. Founders in robotics, drones, displays, energy storage, or AI-related hardware should treat these zones as a priority.

Schedule and New Product Launches

The 140th Canton Fair runs from 15 October to 4 November and is held in three phases. The source reports that more than 700 new-product launch events are planned, that the number of products released is up 15%, and that a dedicated new-product launch display area has been set up for the first time.

• 15 October to 4 November: the full three-phase schedule.
• Over 700 new-product launch events: useful for founders tracking competitor roadmaps and emerging categories.
• 15% growth in products released: a signal of how quickly Chinese suppliers are iterating.
• First dedicated new-product launch area: a single venue for scanning new offerings.

How to Use the Launch Programme

For founders evaluating whether to localise production or source finished goods, the launch events can serve as a market scan. Rather than visiting every booth, attending selected launches can reveal which categories are attracting supplier investment, and which technologies are being positioned for export. Because the source reports a 15% increase in products released, founders should expect a dense programme and plan which launches to attend.

Planning Your Visit Around Company Registration and Operations

This article is framed for foreign founders registering or operating a company in China, so the fair's relevance extends beyond sourcing. The trade services exhibition area, with its nine zones covering producer services, is where founders can gather information on the service ecosystem that supports a China-based operation. The source confirms coverage of all ten major categories of producer services for the first time, which means a founder can compare multiple service categories in a single visit instead of arranging separate trips.

Founders should also note the practical constraints implied by the published figures: approximately 32,000 exhibitors and about 340,000 overseas buyers mean significant competition for meeting slots and accommodation. Deciding in advance which phases to attend, and which exhibitor categories align with your company's registration status and business scope, will make the visit more productive.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Opening date: 15 October, Guangzhou.
• Total exhibitors: approximately 32,000.
• Overseas buyers: approximately 340,000.
• Phase One theme: Advanced Manufacturing.
• Phase One exhibitors: over 12,000, including over 6,000 high-quality exhibitors.
• Emerging future-industry zones: 17, including service robots, drones, and display technology.
• Trade service zones: 9, covering all ten major producer service categories for the first time.
• Duration: 15 October to 4 November, in three phases.
• New-product launches: over 700 events; products released up 15%; dedicated launch area introduced for the first time.

Conclusion

The 140th Canton Fair combines scale, a manufacturing-focused first phase, and expanded producer services coverage. For foreign founders, the practical value lies in using the published structure, the Advanced Manufacturing theme, the 17 emerging-industry zones, and the trade services area, to build supplier and service-provider shortlists efficiently. The three-phase schedule and the new-product launch programme offer additional ways to track where Chinese manufacturing is heading.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.