The China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, was founded in the spring of 1957 and is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn. The Canton Fair is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and hosted by the China Foreign Trade Center. It is China’s longest-running, largest, most comprehensive international trade fair with the most comprehensive commodities, the most buyers and the widest sources, the best transaction results and the best reputation. It is known as the “No. 1 Exhibition in China” and the “barometer” and “weather vane” of China’s foreign trade.
The Canton Fair is a window, epitome and symbol of China’s opening up to the outside world, and an important platform for international trade cooperation. Since its establishment, the Canton Fair has gone through ups and downs and has never been interrupted. It has been successfully held for 136 sessions, established trade relations with 229 countries and regions around the world, and accumulated export transactions of about 1.5 trillion US dollars. The cumulative number of overseas buyers who attended the fair and visited the exhibition online exceeded 12 million, which effectively promoted trade exchanges and friendly exchanges between China and countries and regions around the world.
The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the Canton Fair. President Xi Jinping sent important congratulatory letters to the Canton Fair twice at the 120th and 130th sessions. In his important congratulatory letter to the 130th Canton Fair, President Xi Jinping fully affirmed the important contributions made by the Canton Fair to serving international trade, promoting domestic and foreign connectivity, and promoting economic development since its establishment, endowed the Canton Fair with a new historical mission, and pointed out the development direction for the Canton Fair in the new era and new journey. Premier Li Qiang personally visited the 135th Canton Fair and pointed out that under the new situation, the Canton Fair should be better and better, and a “never-ending” and “market-leading” Canton Fair should be created, so that the “golden signboard” of the Canton Fair will continue to shine with new era style.
In the future, the Canton Fair will be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, thoroughly implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important congratulatory letter, conscientiously implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and the work requirements of the Ministry of Commerce and Guangdong Province, innovate mechanisms, enrich business formats, expand functions, and strive to build an important platform for China’s all-round opening up, promoting high-quality development of international trade, and connecting domestic and international dual circulation, so as to better serve national strategies, high-level opening up, innovative development of foreign trade, and the construction of a new development pattern.
