The China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, has served as a platform driving development of both purchasers and exhibitors over the years. At an event held in Guangzhou City of south China’s Guangdong Province on Saturday as a part of the ongoing 138th Canton Fair, buyers and exhibitors from around the world gathered to share their stories of growing alongside the Canton Fair and achieving common development. Patricia Barreiro, a purchaser from a major Chilean retail group, stated that the company’s annual global procurement volume amounts to approximately one billion U.S. dollars, with 90 percent of the goods sourced from China.
“[What] we have seen in the last 30 years is a huge evolution, and of course, a lot of automation. Today we buy 10 times of what we [used to] buy before because we have developed with China a very close relationship. We have found very good products with very good qualities and the prices we need. So when you find that type of partnership you keep coming and you keep buying,” said Barreiro.
Liu Bingyao, head of a Guangdong-based kitchenware manufacturer, has been participating in the Canton Fair for nearly 30 years. This time, he reunited with his German partner of over a decade at the fair, preparing to upgrade the company’s products to smart kitchenware.
“We have a lab in Germany, and we are testing everything. If everything is working, the chip is made by us, the rest, the housing and the thing, will be made [by you],” said German buyer Karim.
Liu said that when he first participated in the Canton Fair, his company was merely a small factory relying on manual production. Today, it has evolved into an automated, digital and intelligent factory, designing and manufacturing over a thousand varieties of kitchenware products.
Through the Canton Fair, the company’s market has expanded from China to Europe and America, and even globally.
“This platform has offered us a path to go global. Our company started with 100 employees and has gradually grown to over 3.000 today. Our output value, which was tens of millions of yuan, has now reached 1.5 billion yuan (210.6 million U.S. dollars). We’ve expanded from a small-town based company to a global presence. Moving forward, we aim to become a multinational corporation and progressively establish our own branded sales networks worldwide,” Liu said.
Established in 1957. the Canton Fair is held twice a year. It is the longest-running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and has been hailed as the barometer of China’s foreign trade.
The second phase of the 138th Canton Fair, started on Thursday, will run through Oct. 27. while its third phase is scheduled to go from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4.
