Editorial | China defies trade war doubters with bumper turnout at Canton fair
Deals with US buyers may be few and far between, but the rest of the world is out in force to buy the country’s goods
The Canton Trade Fair, which is held twice a year, began this month under a cloud of doubt, opening just weeks after US President Donald Trump declared April 2 to be “Liberation Day” and launched a trade war.
On the very day the fair opened, the White House said China faced tariffs of up to 245 per cent for retaliating with its own high levies on US goods.
One may be forgiven for thinking the scene at such a fair during an all-out trade war would be bleak, and cancellations would be the order of the day. One would also be wrong.
Early reports after the first of three phases wrapped up at the weekend were that attendance by overseas buyers was up sharply.
State media said the initial phase, highlighting China’s advanced manufacturing, concluded with 148,585 overseas buyers from 216 countries and regions attending, a 20.2 per cent increase on the corresponding period of the previous session.
With two more phases set to run until May 5, the final visitor figures will be anyone’s guess. But the fair appears on track to outperform the last one – quite a feat considering the trade brawl.
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