How can “Mainland Manufacturing + Hong Kong Services” achieve powerful synergy? On 17 October, the supporting event of the 140th Canton Fair — “Bridge of Trade · Hong Kong Trade Services Special Matching Session” was held at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou to provide the answer. Marking the 70th anniversary of the Canton Fair, the event themed “Connect Globally, Empower through Trade Services”, was co-hosted by the Trade Section of the Economic Affairs Department of the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong and China Foreign Trade Centre, and co-organised by the Greater Bay Area Importers and Exporters Association. Import and export chambers from Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and other Greater Bay Area cities actively organised high-quality exhibiting enterprises within their jurisdictions to participate. Twenty-two premium Hong Kong trade service providers and 40 trading enterprises exhibiting at the Canton Fair gathered on site. Through two-way coordination of “Mainland Manufacturing + Hong Kong Services”, the event deepened the integration of industrial factors across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and built a full-chain, integrated professional service bridge for Bay Area enterprises to go global with high quality.

Remarks by Guests, Discussing New Development Landscape

Su Bin, Deputy Director of China Foreign Trade Centre; Xia Qing, Second-level Inspector of the Trade Section of the Economic Affairs Department of the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong; and Lin Long’an, President of the Greater Bay Area Importers and Exporters Association, attended the event and delivered speeches.

Su Bin pointed out that the Trade Services Pavilion at this Canton Fair covers all ten categories of producer services for the first time. He elaborated on the value of the event from three dimensions: “bond, two-way empowerment and extended service matrix”. The Canton Fair serves as a vital window linking China’s opportunities with global markets. Deepening coordination among Greater Bay Area cities helps build an open network rooted in the Bay Area and connected to the world. Backed by the motherland and linked to the globe, Hong Kong offers access to international rules and professional service support. Its complementarity with the mainland’s complete industrial and supply chains constitutes the core value of the collaborative empowerment of “Mainland Manufacturing + Hong Kong Services”. Leveraging the “Bridge of Trade”, this event will establish a regular matching mechanism. Business matchmaking sessions will be arranged during the Canton Fair, with continuous follow-up after the fair, to drive cooperation from the Canton Fair to the Greater Bay Area and the whole world.

Xia Qing stated that over the past 70 years, the Canton Fair has remained a key platform for China’s high-level opening-up. At present, the mainland manufacturing industry is undergoing quality upgrading. Enterprises exploring international markets have rising demands for professional services such as cross-border supply chains, compliance risk control and brand promotion. Hong Kong is not only a “super connector” linking inside and outside the country, but also a “super value adder” for industrial upgrading. The Hong Kong Station of the Overseas Comprehensive Service Platform launched jointly by the Ministry of Commerce and four other authorities was inaugurated in Hong Kong on 9 October. It will further coordinate and integrate trade matching, compliance and legal services, as well as investment and financing resources, forming a one-stop comprehensive service system for enterprises going global. The Trade Section of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office will continue to rely on platforms including the Canton Fair’s “Bridge of Trade” and the Hong Kong Station of the Overseas Comprehensive Service Platform to deepen industrial cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and deliver tangible project outcomes.

Drawing on his 26 years of experience in import and export business, Lin Long’an said the Canton Fair acts as a barometer and weathervane for China’s foreign trade. At this new milestone, the 140th Canton Fair focuses on the integration of trade service ecosystems to meet the practical needs of foreign trade enterprises shifting from “chasing orders” to “enhancing comprehensive capabilities”. Boasting a professional trade service system aligned with global rules, Hong Kong serves as a “super connector” for mainland enterprises going global. The in-depth collaboration of “Mainland Manufacturing + Hong Kong Services” represents the unique strength of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a critical path for upgrading China’s foreign trade quality. As an industrial and commercial organisation committed to building a “9+2+N” industrial and supply chain collaborative ecosystem, the Association will channel Hong Kong and Macao trade service resources to industrial belts in the Bay Area. It will expand the “Bridge of Trade” from a special fair session into an all-year-round matching mechanism, and develop the digital trade track to help the Greater Bay Area build a global digital trade hub.

Precise Matching for Efficient Business Negotiations

During the business negotiation session, one-on-one negotiation booths were carefully arranged according to pre-sorted supply and demand lists. Service providers and exhibitors took seats in turn and held in-depth consultations in a relaxed yet efficient atmosphere to realise effective resource connection.

The roster of leading Hong Kong trade service enterprises at the event was impressive, including HSBC, China Resources Logistics, Shengye Technology, WEZO, Saintheng Financial Services, Juncheng Business, Dah Sing Bank, WorldFirst and other renowned service providers. Their business scope covers cross-border logistics, cross-border finance, compliance risk control, intellectual property rights and digital trade. The 40 matched exhibiting trading enterprises are mainly representatives of competitive industries in the Bay Area such as advanced manufacturing, new energy, smart hardware and green mobility. At the negotiation tables, both sides exchanged business cards and recorded demands, with a lively and orderly atmosphere.

Left: Fu Yujin, Chief Strategy & Investment Officer of China Resources Logistics

Right: Kang Jing, Director of the International Market Management Department of Huaihai Holding Group

As a representative of Hong Kong trade service enterprises, Fu Yujin, Chief Strategy & Investment Officer of China Resources Logistics, shared that as a central enterprise based in Hong Kong, China Resources Logistics has provided warehousing, logistics and supply chain services in Hong Kong for 78 years. It is an official partner of the Hong Kong SAR Government’s taskforce supporting mainland enterprises to go global. The company once assisted a mainland Chinese medicine enterprise in completing site selection, warehouse renovation, office relocation and obtaining a Hong Kong Chinese proprietary medicine manufacturer licence within less than 8 months. China Resources Logistics will cooperate with the Greater Bay Area Importers and Exporters Association to deepen collaboration in supporting domestic brand exports. Upholding the philosophy of “leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths, exerting the capabilities of central enterprises and meeting corporate needs”, it will provide full-spectrum support for mainland enterprises entering global markets. As an exhibitor representative, Kang Jing, Director of the International Market Management Department of Huaihai Holding Group, said the group founded in 1976 has specialised in micro vehicles for 50 years, selling products to more than 130 countries and regions. As the enterprise transforms from a single-product manufacturer into a service provider of green mobility system solutions, it requires collaboration with professional institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in finance, logistics and warehousing to jointly lift the overall competitiveness of Chinese enterprises in global expansion.

Visiting the Canton Fair and Experiencing “China’s No.1 Exhibition”

A guided on-site tour was specially arranged. Starting from Gate 1 of the Canton Fair Complex, guests visited the Canton Fair History Exhibition Hall, the Trade Services Pavilion and the CF Award Exhibition Hall to gain on-site experience. From the 9,600-square-metre exhibition hall of the inaugural Canton Fair in 1957 to the grand scale of “China’s No.1 Exhibition” after seven decades of development; from the Trade Services Pavilion covering all ten categories of producer services to the “treasure chamber” showcasing 222 CF Award-winning products, guests observed and learned along the route, gaining a more intuitive and profound understanding of the 70-year evolution of the Canton Fair and the resilience of China’s foreign trade.

Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the 140th Canton Fair, this event upgraded the traditional supplier-buyer matching model. Based on the coordinated development framework of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, it connects Bay Area industrial clusters with Hong Kong’s international professional service channels. It promotes precise integration between Hong Kong professional service resources and mainland manufacturing capacity, achieving an upgrade from simple “product export” to “global expansion empowered by full-chain services”. It converts the global buyer traffic at the Canton Fair into tangible growth for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao industrial collaboration.

Going forward, the Association will continue to rely on the Canton Fair, this national-level opening-up platform, to deepen resource matching between the Greater Bay Area’s industrial supply chains and trade services. It will extend the “Bridge of Trade” from special fair sessions to an all-year regular matching mechanism, continuously unlock the combined advantages of “Mainland Manufacturing + Hong Kong Services”, boost high-quality foreign trade development in the Greater Bay Area and serve high-level opening-up. This event also received co-organisation support from China Hong Kong Enterprises Globalisation Association.