Canton Fair treats traders from around world with Guangdong delicacies

This year's Canton Fair, China's biggest international trade fair, has delighted traders from across the world with an unexpected treat -- a food festival showcasing traditional Guangdong delicacies, giving overseas guests a flavorful taste of local culture.

The festival, named "Guangzhou: The Capital of Gourmet," provides exquisite Cantonese-style dishes and snacks such as clay pot rice and rice noodle rolls on site, and the flavor attracted tasters from different countries.

"It is also really nice, so we are just exploring a little bit and trying all different kinds of things. But we really like it, all the food we tasted," said a merchant from the Netherlands.

"I had the rice rolls, the vegetarian rice rolls. And we've got the cake, and we like the Baozi," said another foreign merchant.

Highlighting the city's food culture, the event has become a new business card at the Canton Fair for global merchants to learn more about the charm of China and Guangzhou.

"We are constantly innovating and developing new products, and now we have various flavors and packaging. Many customers are invited to our exhibition for negotiations and exchanges of views," said Li Changchun, sales manager of Guangzhou Eagle-Coin Food Group Co., Ltd.

"Foreign friends may want to taste Chinese gourmet. The exchange of tasty food and culture is also a good link for our customers and the whole world," said Zhang Hedan, foreign trade manager of Suzhou Doer Gas and Chemical Equipment Co., Ltd.

The festival runs through all three phases of the current Canton Fair. Guangzhou has also launched a series of cultural and sports activities and issued exclusive consumption coupons for visitors from all over the world. The coupons can not only be used at the exhibition site, but also in food stores across the city.

The 137th edition of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, opened on Tuesday, with the number of exporters in attendance exceeding 30,000 for the first time in the history of this famous event.

Canton Fair treats traders from around world with Guangdong delicacies

Starting this year, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will feature a fixed schedule and venue, with a focus on showcasing cutting-edge technologies such as AI and humanoid robots, as announced during Thursday’s press conference in Beijing.

The 2025 CIFTIS will be held from Sept 10 to 14 at the Shougang Park in Beijing. This year's fair will highlight the latest trends in service trade development and will hold a global service trade summit, exhibitions, forums, business negotiations, achievements releases, among other supporting activities.

"In order to further stabilize the expectations of exhibitors and visitors, starting from this session, the CIFTIS will be held annually on the Wednesday of the second week of September, lasting for five days. The venue will also be permanently fixed at the Shougang Park," said Yin Liang, deputy director of the Beijing International Trade in Services Affairs Center.

Australia, as the guest of honor, will form the largest service trade delegation since the launch of CIFTIS.

Over 30 countries and international organizations, including Norway, Japan, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, have expressed their intention to set up exhibitions and hold events. Among them, Canada will participate for the first time by setting up an online exhibition under its government's name.

"In terms of thematic exhibitions, this year's CIFTIS will continue the nine major themes from previous years while aligning with the development trends of service trade. The focus will be on showcasing solutions in the service trade sector, highlighting technologies and applications such as AI and humanoid robots, and promoting Chinese service products and brands," said Yin.

Beijing's CIFTIS unveils schedule, venue for future editions