The 139th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) will be held from April 15th to May 5th. 314000 overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions attended the meeting, an increase of 1.1% compared to the 138th session. Multiple indicators such as the number of overseas buyers and top buyers exceeded previous sessions, reflecting the strong momentum and good start of China's foreign trade in the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan. In his congratulatory letter to the 130th Canton Fair in 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Canton Fair should serve the construction of a new development pattern, innovate mechanisms, enrich business formats, expand functions, and strive to become an important platform for China's all-round opening up to the outside world, promoting high-quality development of international trade, and connecting domestic and international dual circulation. In recent years, the Canton Fair, known as the "first exhibition in China", has continuously demonstrated a new atmosphere of diversified and rich foreign trade market, product quality upgrading, and accelerated innovation in business formats, from "single market" to "diversified layout", from "scale expansion" to "quality improvement", from "product export" to "service export". The market is becoming more stable, and the "circle of friends" is getting larger. In the procurement service area of Indonesia's Changyou Group in the Canton Fair exhibition hall, there is a continuous stream of exhibitors coming to connect, and hundreds of on-site procurement personnel are "so busy that they are flying". For decades, our company has always regarded China as its main commodity procurement base, "said Zhu Zhiwei, the purchasing director of Changyou Group. The group has procured over 200000 types of goods in China. The 139th Canton Fair has a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, with a total of 75700 booths and over 32000 participating companies, all exceeding previous levels. 407 top purchasing companies and 154 overseas industrial and commercial institutions attended the conference. On site intended export transactions amounted to 25.7 billion US dollars, and many buyers have scheduled follow-up factory visits. From traditional markets such as Europe and America to emerging markets such as the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia, the "circle of friends" of the Canton Fair is becoming increasingly large, highlighting the diversified trend of China's foreign trade market. The relevant person in charge of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Mechanical and Electrical Products said that according to the questionnaire survey and on-site visits of the Chamber of Commerce to the exhibitors, buyers from the "the Belt and Road" countries, ASEAN, Central Asia, Latin America and Africa accounted for a relatively high proportion, which was highly consistent with the enterprise market diversification strategy. Jos é Ruben Cavano Ortiz, a director of the Colombian Chamber of Commerce and Industry who participated in the Canton Fair for the first time, has set his sights on multiple new material products. He said that Colombia has strict environmental standards for home building materials products, and the iterative pace of Chinese products in green, low-carbon, and intelligent upgrades is highly in line with local demand, which will open up more space for cooperation. Türkiye China Business Development and Support Association President Yihesan said that Türkiye is accelerating urban renewal and seismic standard upgrading, and its demand for environmentally friendly building materials, energy-saving systems and intelligent technologies has increased significantly. He believes that relying on China's advanced manufacturing capacity and technological advantages, combined with Türkiye's project development experience and regional hub status, the two sides are expected to jointly build a green building materials and smart city industrial ecosystem and open up a larger market. European beach side water parks are about to enter their peak season, while on the African continent, the demand for inflatable castles is sprouting. ”Shi Lei, Sales General Manager of Guangzhou Lili Toys Co., Ltd., described to reporters the global market puzzle of the company. South African purchaser Yusman was immediately attracted to the inflatable castle upon his arrival, and after inquiring about product details and logistics plans, he immediately agreed to visit the factory the next day. The negotiations and transactions, as well as the purchase orders, demonstrate the solid foundation and stable background of China's foreign trade. In the first quarter of this year, China's import and export to the countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road" reached 6.06 trillion yuan, up 14.2% year on year, accounting for 51.2% of the total import and export value. Both imports and exports to ASEAN and Latin America grew by 15.4%, and imports and exports to Africa grew by 23.7%. Experts believe that against the backdrop of rising global trade protectionism and deep restructuring of industrial and supply chains, the "vote of confidence" from global buyers is a hard core proof of China's foreign trade resilience. At the Canton Fair, buyers from various countries and regions communicate in different languages about one common thing, which is how to establish better connections with China. ”Researcher Zhou Wei from the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce said that more and more international economic and trade professionals realize that strengthening ties with China is crucial to reducing uncertainty. At this year's Canton Fair, in addition to exoskeleton robots that help people with disabilities stand and walk, various technological products such as intelligent delivery robots, new drones, and domestically produced high-end display screens have also caught the attention of global buyers. At the 139th Canton Fair, there were over 11000 high-quality enterprises with titles such as specialization, refinement, novelty, and individual champions, exceeding the total number of previous editions; Among the over 4.65 million exhibits, new products, green products, and products with independent intellectual property rights account for 23%, 22%, and 25% respectively. The newly added nine zones, including intelligent wearables, display technology, consumer grade drones, integrated houses, and courtyard facilities, have become the focus of the entire venue. High end intelligence, green and low-carbon have become the new labels of China's foreign trade. ”Wang Zhihua, Director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said. With the upgrading of consumption and the popularization of AI (artificial intelligence) technology, display products are accelerating their evolution towards portability, wearability, scenarization, and intelligence. ”Gao Xin, Marketing Director of Shenzhen Kangguan Technology Co., Ltd., said that the smart mobile tablet that conforms to the market trend has become a "blockbuster", and Samet, a Türkiye purchaser, immediately finalized an intention order to purchase 3000 sets after on-site experience. In front of the booth of Fujian Sixin Digital Technology Group Co., Ltd., AI solutions such as 5G fully connected factories and intelligent visual monitoring systems attracted many customers to stop. The relevant person in charge of the company, Wei Fenhai, introduced that the self-developed industrial 5G router supports digital functions such as AI quality inspection and AI security check. "The usage habits and interface standards differences of overseas customers are forcing the product to continue to iterate. Many traditional enterprises are also reshaping their competitive advantages in foreign trade through green transformation and digital transformation. Under the trend of sustainable development, green innovation has shifted from a 'bonus point' to an 'admission ticket'. ”The person in charge of Jiangsu Sumeda Textile International Trade Co., Ltd. said that the bio based nylon and light grid bio based fabrics they brought this time have broken through the limitations of traditional petroleum based materials, achieved renewable substitution at the source, and have been widely used in top outdoor brands such as assault jackets and sunscreen clothing. With the help of the Canton Fair platform, Chinese companies are better adapting their latest products to the international market. ”Fu Zhengping, Dean of the Comprehensive Research Institute of Free Trade Zone at Sun Yat sen University, said that China's foreign trade development is shifting from focusing on scale to focusing on technology, brand, and high added value. More and more foreign trade enterprises are using "hardcore innovation" to further consolidate the foundation of high-quality development. At the booth of Jiangsu Huibo Robot Technology Co., Ltd., there were not only robot products showcased, but also promotional materials for related training bases, as the business format shifted from "selling products" to "selling services". Hong Xia, the head of the company's overseas market, introduced that when the industrial projects undertaken by the enterprise are implemented, they will set up "smart workshops" to train local workers. Chinese engineers have brought industry education integration services to countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Faced with global buyers shifting from "seeking low-priced products" to "seeking reliable solutions", the "gameplay" of many Chinese companies going global has changed - more and more companies are undergoing a transformation from "selling products" to "product+service" going global with hardcore research and development and full cycle services. More and more exhibitors are shifting from simply providing products to offering 'products+services'. ”Wang Zhihua introduced that "more than 7% of the participating companies in this year's Canton Fair have provided a package solution of 'hardware+software+services' to their partners, and nearly 30% of the participating companies are transforming towards this aspect." In order to alleviate the energy supply shortage and promote green transformation, more and more enterprises are beginning to provide more stable and efficient energy solutions. Shenzhen Huaxing New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. has launched a combination of "EPC general contracting+localization team+power trading solutions" to attract many customers from countries that jointly build the "the Belt and Road". Sun Huaibing, the R&D director of the enterprise, said that from small-scale battery cell exports in 2019 to system integration exports in 2022, the company provides a full process "turnkey" service from infrastructure to grid connection. "We do not engage in 'ship and go' transactions. Guangdong Wanhe New Electric Co., Ltd. mainly produces heating and water heater products such as air source heat pumps, as well as kitchen appliances such as ovens. At this year's Canton Fair, the company received nearly 10 million US dollars in intention orders, with impressive performance in the European and South American markets. According to Chen Shuhong, the overseas market support manager of Wanhe, the production base of Wanhe Thailand will be officially put into operation in 2024, and the second Thai factory will lay the foundation this year. Currently, it has driven nearly a thousand local jobs. "With the model of 'wholly-owned subsidiary+industrial chain going global', we export manufacturing capabilities and supply chain ecology, which not only ensures the controllability of core technologies, but also deeply integrates into the local manufacturing system. This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five Year Plan period. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, the total value of China's goods trade imports and exports in the first quarter was 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%. The quarterly scale reached 11 trillion yuan for the first time, and the quarterly growth rate reached the highest level in nearly five years. Zhu Yong, Director of the China International Trade Center, said that as a comprehensive platform for opening up to the outside world, the Canton Fair will continuously optimize the supply of products and services, create a new ecology of trade and services, and promote high-quality development of foreign trade. From product expansion to service expansion, from scale expansion to quality improvement, "China's First Exhibition" is working together with global merchants to write a new chapter of open, inclusive, and prosperous development. (New Society)