Against the backdrop of the evolving global economic landscape, the Sino-US trade war has become a focal event in the field of international trade, and has had a profound impact on the world economy and trade order. As an important window and platform for China's foreign trade, the Canton Fair plays a special role in this trade dispute, facing unprecedented challenges, while also nurturing new opportunities.
Canton Fair site
Since the Trump administration came to power again in 2025, it has wielded the tariff stick and provoked trade disputes, and the Sino-US trade war has become increasingly fierce. The United States has imposed high tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the United States, and China has also decisively countered. This series of tariff measures has not only changed the scale and structure of bilateral trade between China and the United States, but also impacted the global industrial chain and supply chain, triggering turmoil in the global financial market. Against this background, the importance of the Canton Fair has become increasingly prominent. It is not only a stage for China to demonstrate its economic strength and determination to open up, but also an important platform for global traders to seek cooperation and deal with trade uncertainties.
Under the shadow of the trade war, the Canton Fair still maintains a strong appeal. Take the 137th Canton Fair as an example. Despite the many uncertainties brought about by the US tariff increase, the scale of the exhibition has not shrunk. The total exhibition area reached 1.55 million square meters, the total number of booths was 74,000, and the number of exhibitors was about 31,000. Despite the US tariff increase, the number of overseas buyers on the first day of the Canton Fair reached 64,530, an increase of 8.9% year-on-year. Companies from 220 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, showing that the global business community is still optimistic about the Chinese supply chain. This fully demonstrates that despite the complex and severe trade environment, the Canton Fair, as one of the world's largest comprehensive trade fairs, still has an irreplaceable position in the global trade field.
However, the challenges brought by the trade war to exhibitors cannot be ignored. Some companies reported that the uncertainty in the US market has increased, and customers have become more cautious in placing orders. Some US buyers tried to lower prices, or turned from preparing to pay to waiting and watching, which brought certain pressure to the export business of enterprises. For example, some companies at the exhibition accounted for more than 80% of the company's overseas market share in the US market. The high tariffs imposed by the United States this time have faced unprecedented difficulties in the development of enterprises. In order to cope with these challenges, exhibitors are also actively adjusting their strategies. On the one hand, they increase investment in research and development, improve the added value and competitiveness of products, and offset the cost pressure brought by rising tariffs. For example, well-known home appliance companies such as Gree, Galanz, Vanward Electric, and Skyworth display green, intelligent and high-end products at the Canton Fair, highlighting the new strength of Chinese manufacturing with innovation. On the other hand, they actively explore emerging markets and reduce their dependence on the single US market. More and more companies are turning their attention to markets such as ASEAN, countries along the Belt and Road, and RCEP member countries. By participating in the Canton Fair, they establish connections with buyers from these regions and expand their business.
From a more macro perspective, the Sino-US trade war has also brought new development opportunities to the Canton Fair. It has prompted the Canton Fair to accelerate the pace of transformation and upgrading, and promote the exhibition to develop in a higher quality and more innovative direction. At the 137th Canton Fair, a service robot zone was set up for the first time, attracting 46 industry-representative companies to participate in the exhibition, which will bring various types of products including embodied robots, commercial service robots, educational and entertainment robots, etc. The number of exhibitors in the intelligent exhibition area and special area exceeded 1,100, and 320,000 intelligent products were displayed on site. In addition, the Canton Fair is constantly innovating the exhibition format, and through the model of "online matching and offline transactions", the Canton Fair will "never end". The Canton Fair mobile APP creates the "Canton Fair on Palm", which enables both supply and purchase parties to achieve 7×24 hours docking. These innovative measures not only adapt to the new trend of global trade development, but also provide exhibitors with more opportunities for display and communication.
The Canton Fair also witnessed China's determination to adhere to openness and cooperation in the trade war. Against the backdrop of the rise of global trade protectionism, China continues to hold high the banner of free trade, and through platforms such as the Canton Fair, further open up the domestic market to the world at a high level, and jointly maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain. This not only wins more international cooperation opportunities for Chinese companies, but also contributes to the stability and development of the global economy.
The Canton Fair under the Sino-US trade war is a microcosm of China's foreign trade development. It faces challenges brought by trade frictions, but also contains opportunities for transformation, upgrading and market expansion. For exhibitors, they should actively respond to challenges, seize opportunities, continuously improve their competitiveness, and showcase the elegance of Chinese enterprises on the global trade stage. The Canton Fair will continue to play its unique role, build a bridge for the development of trade between China and the world, and promote global trade towards a more open, inclusive, inclusive, balanced and win-win direction.