Thousands of businesses gather by the Pearl River, while China's intelligent manufacturing captures global attention

At the Pazhou Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangzhou on October 26, the crowds had not yet dispersed. The first phase of the 138th Canton Fair delivered impressive results: by October 19, overseas buyers attending offline had exceeded 157,900, marking a 6.3% increase compared to the previous period. Dongguan's delegation achieved an estimated transaction value of $530 million for the single phase, surging by 15.2% year-on-year. This trade extravaganza, themed "Advanced Manufacturing," demonstrated China's robust resilience in foreign trade through rising popularity and cutting-edge innovation, showcasing the power of new productive forces.

Innovation Momentum: The Robotics Exhibition Area Becomes a "Global Tech Stage"

In the 520,000-square-meter exhibition hall, the service robot zone achieved "phenomenal" popularity. Forty-six leading enterprises showcased new products such as embodied robots and intelligent robotic arms. Viewsonic's industrial-grade quadruped robot can perform needle-threading-level precision operations, while Zhiyuan Innovation's general-purpose robot achieved mass production, hosting four batches of in-depth European and American clients on its opening day. "It's hard to find a platform that brings together so many top-tier companies," said Roland De Kort, a Dutch buyer who traveled specifically for cleaning robots. After 18 years of revisiting the Canton Fair, he secured preliminary cooperation with Guangzhou Lingdu Intelligent—whose 600-meter-high curtain wall cleaning robot conquered the European market with its AI autonomous algorithm.

The explosive growth of high-tech enterprises carries deeper significance: at this Canton Fair, the number of "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" enterprises and "single-category champions" surpassed 10,000 for the first time. The exoskeleton robot from Hangzhou TaiXi Intelligence immediately drew inquiries from hundreds of buyers in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and South Korea upon its debut. Albanian buyer Eraldo raised a thumbs-up after trying it on, declaring, "The global market potential is immense!"

Green Transition: Low-Carbon Solutions to Secure the Global Race

In the new energy exhibition zone, Chinese enterprises have also delivered impressive "green answers." Zhejiang Runma Guangneng's TOPCon 5.0 battery technology maintains a leading position internationally with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 23.08%, and its solutions have been implemented in multiple locations across Europe and South America. Hefei Buno Solar's AI energy storage cabinets, customized for European grid characteristics, along with its rugged products adapted for the Southeast Asian market, have been exported to over 190 countries and regions. Currently, plans are underway for the construction of a factory in Italy.

"Exporting products is a thing of the past; now we are exporting a full lifecycle ecosystem." Guangqi International Exhibition Zone director pointed to the "light, storage, charging, and swapping integrated" equipment, explaining that this technology, which takes just 5 minutes to replenish energy, paired with a retired battery cascade utilization system, has been incorporated into Thailand's "100 Cities, 1,000 Stations" layout plan, becoming a benchmark for green cooperation in Belt and Road countries.

Global Link: Ten Thousand Businesses Gather to Witness Open Sincerity

The "magnetic effect" of the Canton Fair continues to expand. Despite ongoing uncertainties in global trade, the first phase of this year's fair attracted buyers from over 210 countries and regions, with more than 60% of overseas buyers coming from Belt and Road Initiative partner nations. Among them, BRICS countries saw a 24% increase in buyer participation. In the cross-border e-commerce zone, platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba International Station recorded an 18% year-on-year growth in on-site signings. Dongguan Lithium Smart Energy's mobile power storage cabinets, specifically designed for European markets and tailored to the load-bearing characteristics of old buildings, secured a spot order of 300 units from Italy on the spot.

"The popularity of the Canton Fair reflects the vitality of China's foreign trade." A representative from the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Commerce noted that the resilience of the city's foreign trade, with imports and exports growing by 14.6% from January to August, continues to be demonstrated through the performances of enterprises at the Canton Fair. As the second phase of the consumer goods exhibition and the third phase of the textiles and apparel exhibition open successively, this seasonal trade extravaganza is injecting stronger momentum into China's year-round foreign trade growth.