The best trade fairs in China in 2023-2024

China is traditionally considered as the "factory of the world", being the world's leading country in the field of export of manufacturing industries goods and a significant member of international trade. In fact, due to cheaper labor, government investment in infrastructure development and other competitive advantages, the Chinese mainland continues to be one of the world's largest producers of various categories of goods.

In addition, investment in R&D and modernization of production capacity help to improve the quality of production in China, which is still competitive today.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, trade fairs were a popular platform for contacting Chinese manufacturers and signing trade agreements. Today, due to the post-pandemic recovery of China, trade fairs are likely to be held in China from the beginning of 2023.

In this article, we would like to provide you with a brief overview of the most popular trade shows in China that may be held in 2023.

Peculiarities of trade fairs in China

Before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, trade fairs were a very popular way of communication between distributors and manufacturers in China. In 2019, there were nearly 11000 trade fairs, both local and regional fairs, held in various cities in China.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, world trade still cannot come to its senses. The methods of facilitating and establishing business relations with China have been reconsidered.

Trade fairs held annually in China have been regularly canceled or postponed indefinitely since 2020. Many of them, of course, were held in an online format, which affected the quality of the cooperation itself.

In general, trade fairs are an excellent way to build relationships with suppliers and find a business partner. With their help, it is possible to make direct contact with quality and trustworthy suppliers, bypassing intermediaries, and to see products "in person".

Since 2021, there has been a return of trade fairs in China. Exhibitions, held in China regularly before the pandemic, have still been cancelled (for example, the China Consumer Electronics Show). Despite the problems faced by exhibitors, the trade fairs in China are still one of the most important ways to establish direct contact with Chinese partners.

One of the largest and most popular is the Canton Fair. It was organized entirely online in 2021. Now it is noted that the exhibition will still be held in its usual format in its home city, Canton. However, it is planned to create a hybrid version of the international exhibition.

Which exhibitions are planned in China in 2023-2024?

After two years of virtually no real trade shows in China, many have been waiting for them to open again. Currently, there are five major trade shows in China that bring together trade representatives and buyers from around the world each year, and they are scheduled to open for live participation in 2023.

Canton Fair

Canton Fair is a popular international exhibition held in Guangzhou, the center of Guangdong province. Here you can see consumer goods of different categories that are in demand among buyers.

There are two dates associated with two sessions in the Guangzhou trade fair: spring session (April-May) and autumn one (October-November). The total number of booths usually reaches 60,000 and the number of visitors is more than 200,000 per session of the international trade fair.

Yiwu Trade Fair

Like the Canton Fair, all kinds of consumer goods can be seen at this China import and export fair. Yiwu commodities fair is organized from 21 to 24 October and held at Yiwu International Expo Center. The latest session of the international trade fair was attended by about 200,000 visitors, of whom more than 10% of the visitors were foreign customers.

The quality of the products presented at the event is exceptional. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of such an exhibition. The next session of Yiwu commodities fair will be held on October 21-24, 2023.

Beijing International Auto Trade Show

The trade show is held at the Temple of Heaven (Beijing) and is related to the exhibition of cars and car accessories. In the last exhibition, which was held in April 2022, about 2000 Chinese exhibitors’ products were presented, which could be seen by about 800,000 visitors.

China is already recognized as one of the countries with the largest automobile industry. The potential for Chinese cars is really growing every year, and the cost of goods is noticeably lower than in Europe. As for dates, the exhibition is held every 2 years, so the next session is expected to be held in 2024.

Bauma China 2022

Bauma Fair is one of the largest trade fairs in China, held in the Shanghai Exhibition Center Fair and related to the construction industry (construction machinery, construction vehicles, etc.), transportation and other equipment.

The 2022 fair was scheduled for November, there were about 3200 exhibitors related to construction machinery and other items, where more than half are made in China. The trade fair attracted about 200 000 visitors. The next session will be held on November 26-29, 2024.

East China Import and Export Commodity Fair

The popular import and export commodity fair which is held in Pudong (in the east of Shanghai). Visiting the East China import and export fair you can see different variants of consumer goods, as well as clothing items, textiles, art goods, etc. It acts as one of the most important exhibitions on the territory of China, attracting visitors from nearly 100 countries.

Since the beginning of the 90's there have been about 29 successful sessions in Shanghai, where exceptionally expensive contracts were concluded. The next exhibition will be held in Shanghai on July 12-15, 2023.

FAQ

What is the biggest exhibition in China?

The largest exhibition in China is the Canton trade fair, regularly held in Guangzhou. The trade event reflects the main trends of industry production, high-tech services development, trade business growth in China and Asia, etc. This trade fair attracts both small buyers and large ones, the annual number of visitors per session exceeds 200,000 visitors.

What kinds of goods are beneficial to purchase in China?

China is competitive in different fields of industry production. Participating in a trade fair in China you can visit many trade events and purchase a variety of competitive products: from electronics and digital printing equipment (for example, a corresponding event in Guangzhou is DPES EXPO) to fashion industry goods (corresponding event is International Beauty Expo fair in Beijing) produced in China.

How many trade shows are held regularly in China?

Before the pandemic, there were approximately 11,000 trade shows held regularly in China, especially in the cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Today, the most popular place for trade fairs in Shanghai: there were 139 exhibitions held in Shanghai in 2022.

Conclusions

The presented five major exhibitions are an important platform which allows the largest importers and exporters to promote their brands and learn about the novelties related to diverse industries in China and be the first to sign contracts for new export products produced in China. We would like to believe that in the near future the admission of foreign companies’ representatives will be completely opened and all restrictions on entry into the country will be totally lifted.

Besides, in the bounds of increasing internal competition, the goods on the Chinese market are now characterized by their quality and affordability. Many consumers from different countries in Asia, Europe and North America are more willing to trust products from the consumer goods market of China. Therefore, participation in best trade shows is crucial to find advantageous ways to sign beneficial trade contracts with counterparts in China.