The 139th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) opened in Guangzhou on April 15. There are more than 32,000 exhibiting companies in this Canton Fair, among which more than 11,000 high-quality companies have titles such as "Specialized, Specialized, New" and "Individual Champion", all exceeding the level of previous editions. Affected by geopolitical conflicts, global energy markets and supply chains have been disrupted, putting pressure on world trade. In this context, the Canton Fair has received more attention from foreign media.
Bloomberg reported on April 21 that “the war shook the global market, and China showed off its new technological strength.” According to reports, as an important window for China’s opening up to the outside world and a core platform for international trade cooperation, a number of refreshing technology companies at this year’s Canton Fair have attracted attention.
Screenshot of Bloomberg report
The report stated that global transportation costs are currently rising, supply chains are overwhelmed, and delivery cycles are getting longer and harder to predict. But China's production system is constantly being transformed to adapt to the new era of artificial intelligence and robotics, and to continuously produce innovative products that the world needs and can afford.
Screenshot of Bloomberg report
The report mentioned that taking a high-altitude curtain wall cleaning robot manufacturer headquartered in Guangdong as an example, the Middle East is still its largest market. Although the company has also been affected by the war in the Middle East, so far, global demand for the company's glass adsorption crawler robots is still strong, with a steady stream of orders from Southeast Asia. The company said that after two consecutive years of overseas revenue growth of 40%, the company is expected to achieve a 300% growth in overseas revenue in 2026.
The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has blocked trade flows, and now, the risk of trade disruption is also rising. However, China’s latest wave of companies is leveraging a variety of technologies to make more and more goods resistant to the risks posed by geopolitical conflicts. According to reports, in the first quarter of 2026, China's high-tech product exports increased by nearly 30% year-on-year, almost twice the overall overseas sales growth rate.
Screenshot of Bloomberg report
The report also noted that people’s enthusiasm for new technologies at the Canton Fair was obvious. Some people lined up to try on metal exoskeleton suits, while others "gawked" at the spherical robot that is said to be able to move flexibly on extreme terrains. From artificial intelligence toy dogs to humanoid robots, high-tech products can be found everywhere.
The report pointed out that the rapid growth of investment in artificial intelligence is becoming a key driving force in promoting technology exports. According to estimates from Standard Chartered Bank, China will become the world's largest supplier of artificial intelligence-related products by 2025, with sales exceeding US$700 billion. In addition to artificial intelligence, innovative high-value-added products ranging from industrial machinery to electric vehicles are also likely to keep China's exports strong in the coming months.
