139th Canton Fair to open with record exhibition scale

The 139th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is scheduled to take place from Wednesday to May 5 in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, with its exhibition space, number of booths and participating enterprises all reaching record highs, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

Visitors navigate an exhibition hall during the 138th China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou in November 2025. The 139th session is scheduled to run from April 15 to May 5 in Guangzhou. Xinhua

The fair will cover 1.55 million square meters and feature 75,700 booths and more than 32,000 participating enterprises, with around 3,900 first-time exhibitors, Wang Zhihua, an official with the ministry, told a press conference.

The number of exhibition zones will increase to 179, including nine new sections covering smart wearables, display technologies, and other sectors.

As of this week, around 300 leading purchasing enterprises have confirmed their participation, marking a 30% year-on-year increase. The list includes global retail giants such as Walmart from the United States, Tesco from Britain, and Carrefour from France.

Zhu Yong, head of the China Foreign Trade Center, said that buyer attendance has continued to expand both in terms of scale and quality. Pre-registration has been driven mainly by new buyers, whose number has risen by 20% year on year, while participation among existing buyers remains stable.

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.