On April 14, the meeting between national, provincial and municipal leaders of the 139th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) and representatives of Hong Kong and Macao guests was held in Guangzhou. Leaders including Zhang Li, Deputy Director of the Canton Fair Leadership Committee and Assistant Minister of Commerce, and Zhang Guozhi, Deputy Director of the Canton Fair and Member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Vice Governor, gathered with representatives of major industrial and commercial associations and professional institutions from Hong Kong and Macao. They held in-depth exchanges on topics such as deepening economic and trade cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, sharing development opportunities of the Canton Fair, and promoting high-quality development of foreign trade in the Greater Bay Area.

Lin Long’an, President of the Greater Bay Area Import and Export Commercial Association, was invited to attend the meeting.

Zhang Li briefed the Hong Kong and Macao guests on the current foreign trade situation. He pointed out that China’s foreign trade import and export volume increased by 15% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, achieving better-than-expected growth on the high base of last year, which fully demonstrates the resilience of China’s economy and the advantages of its complete industrial chain. More than 32,000 enterprises are participating in this year’s Canton Fair, among which over 11,000 are high-quality enterprises upgrading towards “innovation”, “green” and “quality”, including specialized, refined, distinctive and new enterprises and high-tech enterprises. More than 1 million high-quality new products are on display, both hitting record highs. Currently, 75% of China’s foreign trade increment comes from intermediate goods trade, reflecting the in-depth layout and important position of Chinese enterprises in the global industrial and supply chains.Hong Kong and Macao compatriots are witnesses, participants, beneficiaries and contributors to China’s reform and opening-up. It is hoped that Hong Kong and Macao guests will give full play to their advantages of backing the motherland and connecting with the world, make good use of the Canton Fair as a “gold-lettered signboard” and platform, share the dividends of the motherland’s prosperity and opening-up, and make greater contributions to building a new development paradigm.The Ministry of Commerce will firmly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, actively promote further opening-up of the mainland to Hong Kong and Macao, continue to support Hong Kong and Macao in developing the economy and improving people’s livelihood, better integrate into and serve the overall national development, and jointly advance the construction of Chinese-style modernization.

Zhang Guozhi stated that Guangdong’s total foreign trade import and export volume reached 9.49 trillion yuan in 2025, accounting for one-fifth of the national total and one-fourth of the national increment, with a year-on-year increase of 4.4%, demonstrating the resilience and vitality of economic and trade cooperation in the Greater Bay Area. The scale of the 139th Canton Fair has reached a new high, with 5,896 Guangdong enterprises participating, more than 55% of which are specialized, refined, distinctive and new enterprises, and the renewal rate of exhibits exceeds 18%, indicating continuous optimization of the exhibitor structure.Guangdong Province will fully ensure the smooth running of the fair, launch 11 customs facilitation measures and tax incentives for exhibits during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, optimize customs clearance, travel and payment services, and concurrently hold more than 500 trade matching events and 166 investment promotion activities.In the future, Guangdong Province will continue to work with Hong Kong and Macao to further implement the new positioning of “One Hub, Two Zones” for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, continuously deepen economic and trade cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, promote high-level opening-up with greater efforts. It is also hoped that the industrial and commercial sectors of Hong Kong and Macao will deepen cooperation with mainland enterprises, jointly develop new quality productive forces, and advance the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

In the exchange, President Lin Long’an said that the Greater Bay Area Import and Export Commercial Association, based in Hong Kong and rooted in the Greater Bay Area, closely follows the national deployment of the “dual circulation” strategy and the construction of the Greater Bay Area, links import and export resources of the “9+2” cities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and gives play to its role as an international connectivity platform.The association has carried out a number of practical cooperations with the Canton Fair. In the future, it will seize the opportunities brought by the layout of the global industrial and supply chains and the growth of intermediate goods trade, help foreign trade enterprises in the Greater Bay Area connect with the global market, continuously act as a bridge, serve the integration of Hong Kong and Macao’s industrial and commercial sectors into the Greater Bay Area development, and promote the high-quality development of foreign trade in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

▲Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Li poses for a photo with the chamber of commerce delegation.

▲Zhang Guozhi, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and Vice Governor of Guangdong Province, poses for a photo with the chamber of commerce delegation.

After the meeting, the opening reception of the 139th Canton Fair was held as scheduled, presided over by Zhu Yong, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Canton Fair. The Greater Bay Area Import and Export Commercial Association and representatives of many Hong Kong and Macao institutions were invited to attend, conducting in-depth exchanges with global merchants and professional institutions to further broaden cooperation channels and build consensus for development.

About 390 people attended the event, including Wang Zhihua, Director General of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, Yin Hong, Special Commissioner of the Ministry of Commerce’s Guangdong Office, Guo Yile, Deputy Secretary-General of the Guangdong Provincial Government, Zhang Jinsong, Director of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Hu Hao, Vice Mayor of Guangzhou City, heads of various trade delegations, officials of foreign consulates general in Guangzhou, and leading multinational enterprises.

As an important industrial organization based in Hong Kong, rooted in the Greater Bay Area and connecting China and the world, the Greater Bay Area Import and Export Commercial Association will continue to rely on the Canton Fair as an important window for opening-up, integrate industrial resources, help foreign trade enterprises in the Greater Bay Area seize opportunities and enhance competitiveness, and jointly write a new chapter in economic and trade cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.