The 1st Canton Fair: Purchasers from Belt and Road countries and regions increase

The two labels of “vane” and “barometer” of China’s foreign trade can be traced back to the early days of the Canton Fair. At that time, my country’s enterprises had a single export platform. For export enterprises, the Canton Fair was the only window for them to contact buyers, obtain orders, and earn foreign exchange through exports. Therefore, the number of buyers at the Canton Fair can basically be used as a basis for inferring whether my country’s export situation will be “cold” or “hot” in the second half of the year.
​But the situation now is very different from before. Chinese export companies have their own websites. They cooperate with large e-commerce platforms and actively participate in overseas exhibitions and domestic industry exhibitions. They have more and more channels to contact overseas customers and promote their products, and their reliance on the Canton Fair to explore customer sources is gradually increasing. reduce.
The “wind vane” role of the Canton Fair is still obvious. Whether it is the intuitive feeling in the exhibition hall of the 117th Canton Fair, the unanimous response of exhibitors, or the statistics of the conference, it is shown that the number of European and American merchants has significantly decreased, while the number of buyers from countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” has increased. This is not only closely related to the current international economic and trade situation, but also heralds the geographical shift of China’s trading partners in the coming period.
From the perspective of product structure, high-quality products with high technology content, high brand value, and high service additions are occupying the “main battlefield” of the Canton Fair. Once market demand changes, the Canton Fair exhibits will respond immediately.
A good example is the intensive appearance of new all-terrain bicycles at this Canton Fair. “We launched a series of products at the end of last year and initially cultivated some customers.” An exhibitor told reporters.
The concept of “barometer” may need to be discussed under the current situation. Does the decrease in the number of buyers at the Canton Fair necessarily mean that China’s foreign trade will “change”?
“It can only be said that China’s exports have bid farewell to the past era of ‘anyone can sell’, ‘anything can be sold’, and ‘anything can be sold to make money’. Foreign trade companies have begun to compete with opponents from all over the world and have to develop and develop markets. It is a good thing to put more effort into product technology, functions, and service follow-up. Only in this way can we remain invincible. At the Canton Fair, some booths were crowded with people, and some booths were unattended. This reflects the enterprises’ response to the challenges faced by our country. Ability to optimize foreign trade structure and improve quality.” The person in charge of a provincial trading group understood this.
“Made in China is constantly climbing over obstacles all the way.” An exhibitor who has participated in more than 30 Canton Fairs lamented, “But no matter how the situation changes, companies that work hard can always find a way out. It cannot be said that in the past, there was no need for competition. Times are good times, and times that require competition are bad times.”