China’s exporters, foreign investors fear being left in the dark as Canton Fair goes online only

China Import and Export Fair, aka Canton Fair, is the nation’s largest of its kind, and many attendees were dismayed to hear it will be online only this month

New surveys by AmCham and German Chamber of Commerce in China show operations, logistics and sales have been seriously affected by zero-Covid policy and other headwinds

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The twice-annual China Import and Export Fair, aka Canton Fair, drew a crowd during the last event in October. But this month it will be online only. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:30pm, 1 Apr 2022Updated: 9:23pm, 1 Apr 2022

Increasingly overwhelmed by supply-chain disruptions and soaring raw material costs, Chinese exporters and foreign investors in China are feeling the pinch from Covid-19 restrictions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, China’s worst coronavirus outbreaks in two years have triggered lockdowns across the country, including in the financial and trade hub of Shanghai. And parts of the country that have evaded lockdown are encouraging social distancing.

None of that bodes well for this month’s China Import and Export Fair, aka the Canton Fair, which must again go solely online. The fair – held every year since 1957 – is the largest of its kind in China in terms of scale, variety, distribution of overseas buyers and business turnover.

Exhibitors will now live-stream their products from April 15-24, the fair’s operator said on Thursday. Those hoping for an in-person event were left disappointed at the news.

We actually really wanted to … get together [at the Canton Fair] and know a little more about their expectations and thoughts about the dramatic changes in trade

Ding Qiangyu, Guangdong exporter

Ding Qiangyu, a Guangdong-based exporter of car parts, was eager to meet other exporters face to face, to help him assess the state of the industry and discern information that may not come out in a virtual forum.