High-tech goods prove popular at Canton Fair

A wide range of high-tech and high value-added products displayed at the first phase of the 136th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, proved increasingly popular among overseas buyers, the event's organizers said on Monday.

The event's first phase, which focused on China's advanced manufacturing, concluded on Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, with digitalized, intelligent and green products emerging as major highlights of the exhibits.

Among the 11,165 participating companies in the first phase, approximately 3,600 are related to digital technology and intelligent manufacturing, according to the organizers. Of these, 57.8 percent are enhancing their industrial chains through technology transformations involving big data, artificial intelligence and the industrial internet.

Chinese exhibitors have showcased a plethora of new products, technologies, materials and processes, with 390,000 digital products on display, marking a 300 percent increase compared with the last session.

High-end products including smart home appliances, new energy vehicles, industrial automation equipment, humanoid robots, intelligent bionic hands and hydrogen-powered bikes are increasingly popular, the organizers said.

They also said the trend indicates that Chinese manufacturing is accelerating its pace toward the high end of the industrial and value chains, while the independent innovation capabilities of Chinese enterprises and the core competitiveness of Chinese products are continuing to strengthen.

Xu Jiadong, sales manager of Skymen Technology Corp, said, "We have seen an increased number of buyers, especially those from emerging markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, visiting our exhibition booth during the fair, showing interest in buying advanced ultrasonic cleaning products."

The Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based company's overseas sales of ultrasonic cleaning products steadily increased in the first nine months of this year, reaching more than 60 million yuan ($8.4 million), Xu said.

To meet the increased demand for advanced and intelligent ultrasonic cleaning products in overseas markets, the company launched operation of its manufacturing base in Shaoguan, Guangdong, in late 2023.

More than 130,000 overseas buyers, an increase of 4.6 percent compared with the previous session, visited the fair's first phase. Of these, 69.7 percent were from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and around 20,000 buyers were from the Middle East, an increase of 44.2 percent compared with the previous session, according to the organizers.

In addition, advanced products with high added value, such as industrial machines manufactured in China, have become increasingly popular in the overseas market, according to Yusuf Kandemir, CEO of Alshamela Group Trading Co.

"The fair provides me with very valuable information, as we are looking for high-end industrial machinery suppliers from China," said Kandemir, adding that such products are very much in demand, especially in the Middle East.

The second phase of the fair will be held from Wednesday to Sunday, with 10,040 Chinese exhibitors showcasing household items, gifts and decorations, building materials and furniture.

Spanning three phases, with both online and on-site exhibitions, the fair, which will run until Nov 4, aims to serve high-quality development and promote greater opening-up.