Canton Fair closes with US$26.75bn in intended deals; EU buyers up 38.2%

The 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), which closed on 4 November in Guangzhou, logged US$26.75 billion (267.5亿美元) in on-site intended export deals, according to CCTV, as cited by Yicai on 5 November. The figure covers purchase intentions (意向成交), not signed contracts.

The fair drew 352,000 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions, up 12.2% on the previous session and the highest in the event’s history, according to CCTV and Xinhua. Xinhua, citing the organiser, the China Foreign Trade Centre (中国对外贸易中心), said the count runs to 3 November.

Within that total, according to CCTV, buyers from the European Union rose 38.2%, from the United States 22.2% and from Belt and Road countries 16.6%. Professional buyers made up more than 75% of the total; leading procurement companies (头部采购企业) reached 502, and the fair’s global partners 240.

At the 139th session, which closed on 5 May 2026, intended export deals totalled US$25.7 billion, with 314,000 buyers from 220 countries and regions (up 1.1% on the 138th) and 407 leading procurement companies, according to China Foreign Trade Centre data released by the Guangdong government.

The 140th session had about 32,000 exhibitors and 4.88 million exhibits. New products made up 23.2% and green products 26% of the total, both records, according to CCTV. More than 11,000 exhibitors are quality firms classed, among other categories, as “专精特新” (specialised and innovative small and mid-sized firms) and single-product “champions”. The 141st session is scheduled for 15 April to 5 May 2027 in Guangzhou.

Exhibitors interviewed by Shanghai Securities News described shifts in demand. The head of handicraft maker Laizhou Huali (莱州华郦工艺品) said overseas buyers are asking for far more eco-friendly and sustainable materials and are more demanding on customisation and delivery dates. The head of a designer-toy (潮玩) company said buyers no longer compare on price alone and now weigh the recognisability of original IP, compliance certification, sampling efficiency and a flexible supply chain.

CSP take: by our calculation, intended deals grew 4.1% between the 139th and 140th sessions, well below the 12.2% rise in attendance; dividing the total by the number of buyers, the average fell from about US$81,800 to about US$76,000. The sources do not explain the gap. For importers in any country, the jump in European and American buyers points to more competition for the same suppliers; anyone planning to buy for the first half of 2027 should lock in samples, certifications and schedules before the 141st session. This reading is ours, not the sources’.