Chinese made electric tricycles spark global interest at Canton Fair

Electric tricycles are capturing the attention of international buyers at the ongoing 136th China Import and Export Fair, highlighting a growing shift towards sustainable transportation solutions.

The event, commonly known as Canton Fair, kicked off on Tuesday in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong Province in south China.

Held in three phases between Oct 15 and Nov 4, the fair features 55 exhibition areas covering 1.55 million square meters.

The first phase of the fair, which spans five days, showcases five main themes across 19 exhibition areas, including electronic appliances, industrial manufacturing, lighting and electrical goods, hardware tools, regular vehicles and two-wheeled vehicles.

About 147,000 overseas buyers have pre-registered for the fair, showing their high enthusiasm for the event and strong interest in latest Chinese technologies and products.

Since its opening, the exhibition area dedicated to new energy vehicles (NEVs) and smart transportation has drawn numerous international buyers, particularly for electric tricycles, which have become increasingly popular due to the global emphasis on green mobility.

"The vehicle is very trendy, and I have already took a test drive off it. And, it is so interesting and sporty inside. At the same time, the vehicle is very stable, so I like this car and I already ordered 52 units," said a purchaser from Nepal.

Electric tricycles, known for their convenience, efficiency, eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness, are emerging as favorites in the international market, particularly in sunny and congested urban areas where they meet short-distance travel needs.

"Country like Italy now they are looking for [a] new way to have a transportation of people and more cheaper. And we [do] not have much taxi. This can solve the problem with a cheap price [and it's] easy to handle," said an Italian purchaser.

In response to the rising demand for NEVs and electric trikes, many exhibitors have introduced innovative products at the fair.

"At each Canton Fair, new clients and returning visitors share their local needs with us. We then transform those requests into actual products and here have brought them to this year's event," said Mou Jing, an exhibitor.

As a vital platform for Chinese enterprises eager to expand globally, Canton Fair has become the preferred venue for launching new products, enabling them to secure orders from international buyers.

"Our electric mobility products cater to more than just individual customers; we have successfully forged numerous partnerships with companies in the industry," said Xing Hongyan, another exhibitor.

Launched in 1957, Canton Fair is the China's oldest and largest trade fair. Held every spring and autumn in Guangzhou, it is seen as a significant barometer of China's foreign trade.

Chinese made electric tricycles spark global interest at Canton Fair

Chinese made electric tricycles spark global interest at Canton Fair

Public procurement and public resource transactions in China have expanded into more sectors over the past two years, with continuous improvements of the relevant trading systems, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said on Wednesday.

Since China issued a new guideline for national public resource transactions at the end of last year, the types of resources that can be traded have gradually increased.

Previously, public resource transactions mainly focused on areas such as construction project bidding, government procurement, and transfer of land use and mining rights.

Under the new guideline, the scope has broadened to public resources, including natural resources, assets and equity, and environmental rights, which are suitable for market-based allocation. For instance, this includes the transfer of income rights from rural collective-owned assets and the sale or lease of state-owned assets in administrative institutions.

Besides, in July, China announced that procurement by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will be integrated into the national public resources transaction system, which will benefit the overall industrial and supply chains in terms of management and stability.

"Including procurement made by SOEs in the public resources transaction system will give full play to the large-scale purchasing power of these enterprises, promoting the digital and green developments of the transaction system," said Hu Dajian, assistant to the president of the CFLP.

Another notable trend in public procurement is the decline in volume.

In 2023, the total transaction volume of public procurement in China reached 46 trillion yuan (about 6.3 trillion U.S. dollars), down 4.16 percent year on year. The transaction volume in key sectors, such as construction project bidding, government procurement, land use and mining rights transfers, and state-owned asset transactions, decreased by four percent to 21.9 trillion yuan compared to 2022. And this downward trend continued in the first 10 months of 2024.

"In both government and SOE procurement, improving procurement quality and efficiency is the key part. Overexpansion of procurement scale should be avoided; instead, the focus of attention should be on whether the procurement can effectively support economic restructuring, technological innovation, and balanced regional development. While the overall volume of public procurement has decreased, its structure is shifting in a positive direction, with greater support for independent innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," said Hu.

In the past two years, the annual procurement volume of central SOEs has averaged around 13 trillion yuan (about 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars), benefiting over two million businesses of all sizes across industrial chains.

China's public procurement, resource transaction expand to more sectors