China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, was established in the spring of 1957. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of PRC and the People's Government of Guangdong Province and organized by China Foreign Trade Centre, it is held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, China. As a comprehensive international trading event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete exhibit variety, the largest buyer attendance, the most diverse buyer origin and the greatest business turnover in China, Canton Fair is hailed as China’s No.1 Fair and the barometer of China’s foreign trade.
As the window, epitome and symbol of China's opening up and an important platform for international trade cooperation, Canton Fair has withstood various challenges and never been interrupted in the past 65 years. It has been successfully held for 134 sessions and established trade relations with more than 229 countries and regions around the world. The accumulated export volume has amounted to about USD 1.5 trillion and the total number of overseas buyers attending the Canton Fair onsite and online has exceeded 10 million. The Fair has effectively promoted trade connections and friendly exchanges between China and the world.
The Central Committee of the CPC attaches great importance to the Canton Fair. President Xi Jinping sent important congratulatory letters to the 120th and 130th Canton Fair. In his letter to the 130th Canton Fair, he noted that it made significant contribution to facilitating international trade, connection between domestic and international markets, and economic development over the past 65 years. The letter endowed Canton Fair with a new historic mission, pointing a way for the Fair in the new journey of the new era. In the future, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Canton Fair will fully implement the spirit of the 20thNational Congress of the CPC and President Xi's congratulatory letter, follow through the decisions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, as well as the requirements of the Ministry of Commerce and Guangdong Province. All-round efforts will be made to innovate mechanism, create more business models and expand the Fair’s role to become a vital platform for China's opening-up on all fronts, the high-quality development of global trade and the dual circulation of domestic and overseas markets, so as to better serve national strategies, high-quality opening up, the innovative development of foreign trade, and the building of a new development paradigm.
