China’s Autumn 2026 Trade and Investment Promotion Calendar: CIFIT, the 140th Canton Fair and the Global Digital Trade Expo
- The 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) runs from 15 October to 4 November 2026 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, in three phases, with a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square metres, 54 specialised sections, more than 75,000 booths and more than 30,000 exhibiting enterprises.
第 140 届中国进出口商品交易会（广交会）于 2026 年 10 月 15 日至 11 月 4 日在广州中国进出口商品交易会展馆分三期举办，展览总面积 155 万平方米，设 54 个专业展区、超 7.5 万个展位，超 3 万家企业参展。
- Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Li presented the session at a State Council Information Office press conference on 18 September 2026; the three phases are advanced manufacturing (15–19 October), quality home products (23–27 October) and a better life (31 October–4 November).
商务部部长助理张力于 2026 年 9 月 18 日出席国新办发布会介绍本届情况；三期分别为先进制造（10 月 15 日至 19 日）、品质家居（10 月 23 日至 27 日）与美好生活（10 月 31 日至 11 月 4 日）。
- Quality and innovation define the edition: of 32,000 exhibiting enterprises more than 11,000 are high-quality firms, 64% apply new technologies such as the industrial internet and artificial intelligence, and new and green products reach 23.2% and 26% of exhibits respectively, both record highs.
质量与创新构成本届特征：3.2 万家参展企业中专精特新、单项冠军等优质企业超过 1.1 万家，64% 的参展企业应用工业互联网、人工智能等新技术，新产品与绿色产品占比分别达 23.2% 与 26%，均创历史新高。
- Buyer access has been eased: overseas buyer pre-registration is open year-round for the first time, buyers from 196 countries and regions — more than 210,000 people — have pre-registered, and new buyers can collect badges free of charge at airports, railway stations, ports, designated hotels and the Hong Kong office.
采购商准入更便利：首次全年开放境外采购商预登记，已有 196 个国家和地区超 21 万名采购商预登记，新采购商可在机场、车站、港口、指定酒店及香港办事处等远端站点免费办证。
- Guangdong has rolled out 29 upgrading measures, including dedicated Canton Fair channels at key ports such as Baiyun Airport, application of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy with same-day processing, and end-to-end online handling of exhibition-goods filing, declaration and appointment-based customs clearance.
广东省推出 29 项提质升级举措，包括在白云机场等重点口岸设置广交会专用通道、落实 240 小时过境免签并”专人专窗、即到即办”，以及展品备案、申报、预约通关全流程线上办理。
- The autumn calendar also includes the 26th CIFIT in Xiamen on 8–11 September 2026, with exhibition area expanded to 200,000 square metres, and the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou on 23–27 September 2026.
秋季日程还包括 2026 年 9 月 8 日至 11 日在厦门举办的第二十六届投洽会——展览面积扩大至 20 万平方米——以及 2026 年 9 月 23 日至 27 日在杭州举办的第五届全球数字贸易博览会。
- The follow-up machinery is set out in the Action Plan for Stabilising and Optimizing Foreign Investment: strengthening the “Invest in China” brand, holding a foreign-invested enterprise roundtable every month, and establishing a task force for key foreign-invested projects providing point-to-point service.
展后落地机制见于《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》：强化”投资中国”品牌，每月召开外资企业圆桌会议，并建立重点外资项目工作专班提供”点对点”服务。
China’s Autumn 2026 Trade and Investment Promotion Calendar: CIFIT, the 140th Canton Fair and the Global Digital Trade Expo | 2026 年秋季中国投资贸易促进平台日历：投洽会、第 140 届广交会与全球数字贸易博览会
Overview
China’s autumn trade-and-investment season in 2026 runs from early September to early November, bookended by three national-level platforms: the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen on 8–11 September, the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE) in Hangzhou on 23–27 September, and the 140th China Import and Export Fair — the Canton Fair — in Guangzhou from 15 October to 4 November.
For a foreign company planning a China entry, expansion or sourcing push, the calendar is a sequence of dated opportunities. This guide maps what each platform is for and when it happens, and focuses on how the Canton Fair’s buyer-facing logistics, and the investment-promotion machinery behind CIFIT, convert a visit into a landed project.
The autumn 2026 calendar at a glance
- 26th CIFIT — Xiamen, 8–11 September 2026, under the permanent theme “expanding two-way investment for shared global development”.
- Fifth GDTE — Hangzhou, 23–27 September 2026, the national-level specialised fair for digital trade.
- 140th Canton Fair — Guangzhou, 15 October to 4 November 2026, in three phases.
The 140th Canton Fair: dates, scale and phases
Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Li presented the 140th session at a State Council Information Office press conference on 18 September 2026. The fair runs from 15 October to 4 November 2026 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, and is co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the Guangdong provincial government, with the China Foreign Trade Centre as organiser. It is held in three phases:
- Phase 1, 15–19 October — advanced manufacturing.
- Phase 2, 23–27 October — quality home products.
- Phase 3, 31 October–4 November — a better life.
The scale is the fair’s defining feature: a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square metres, 54 specialised exhibition sections and more than 75,000 booths, with more than 30,000 enterprises exhibiting. For reference, the 139th session drew 314,000 overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions.
What this edition emphasises
Three figures from the 18 September briefing frame the edition. Of the 32,000 exhibiting enterprises, more than 11,000 are “little giants”, single-item champions and other high-quality firms. Sixty-four per cent of exhibitors apply new technologies such as the industrial internet and artificial intelligence. New products account for 23.2% of exhibits and green products 26% — both record highs.
The fair is also embedding artificial intelligence in its own operation: it introduces 22 smart application scenarios and 16 AI-specific applications for the first time, and will provide booth-level navigation and augmented-reality booth information. On the services side, the trade-services zone is upgraded and covers all ten categories of producer services for the first time, with 36.5% of exhibitors shifting to a “product plus service” model.
Buyer convenience: pre-registration, visas and customs
Buyer logistics have been adjusted.
- Pre-registration. Overseas buyer pre-registration is open year-round for the first time. The China Foreign Trade Centre reports that buyers from 196 countries and regions — more than 210,000 people — have pre-registered, with professional buyers close to 80% of them.
- Badge collection. New buyers can obtain badges free of charge at remote counters including airports, railway stations, ports, designated hotels and the Hong Kong office.
- Visas and entry. Guangdong has rolled out 29 upgrading measures, set up dedicated Canton Fair channels at key ports including Baiyun Airport, and is applying the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, with dedicated counters and same-day processing.
- Customs. Exhibition-goods filing, declaration and appointment-based customs clearance are handled online end to end.
- In-city movement. Guangzhou has arranged dedicated channels at the airport and the Pazhou port, dedicated bus and metro timetables, and more than 2,000 taxis and ride-hailing vehicles dispatched daily.
CIFIT and the Global Digital Trade Expo, in brief
CIFIT — the “9-8” fair — held its 26th session in Xiamen on 8–11 September 2026. Its exhibition area expanded from 120,000 to 200,000 square metres, it moved to the Xiamen International Expo Centre, and it introduced dual guest countries of honour (Saudi Arabia and Finland) and dual guest provinces. Organisers reported participants from 129 countries and regions and 30 international organisations, more than 1,200 government and business delegations, and total attendance above 100,000.
The fifth Global Digital Trade Expo was introduced by Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong at a State Council Information Office press conference on 7 September 2026 and ran in Hangzhou on 23–27 September. It is the platform to watch for digital trade, e-commerce and artificial-intelligence-related market entry.
Turning exhibition leads into landed projects
The Action Plan for Stabilising and Optimizing Foreign Investment, issued in 2026, sets out in Part Three, “improving the level of investment promotion”, the machinery that sits behind these fairs. It commits to strengthening the “Invest in China” brand, holding a foreign-invested enterprise roundtable every month, and establishing a task force for key foreign-invested projects that provides point-to-point service.
Read alongside the fairs, that machinery turns a booth conversation into a project. The Ministry of Commerce describes CIFIT as the signature “Invest in China” exhibition, to be built into a high-level platform for two-way investment promotion, authoritative information release and investment-trend discussion, and invites localities to join “Invest in China” overseas activities for project matching and local business-environment promotion. The ministry, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 11 other units, also publishes the annual Guide to Working and Living in China for Foreign Business People, in Chinese and English.
Practical notes for foreign investors
- Work the calendar backwards from the project. Decide whether the goal is sourcing (Canton Fair), investment promotion (CIFIT) or digital-trade partnership (GDTE), and match the visit to the phase.
- Register early for buyer status. Year-round pre-registration and remote badge counters reduce the friction of a first visit.
- Use the entry channels. The 240-hour visa-free transit policy and dedicated port channels are the practical layer beneath a fair visit; check eligibility before booking.
- Prepare the customs side. For exhibitors, online filing, declaration and appointment-based clearance mean the paperwork can be settled before the goods move.
- Plan the follow-up. The roundtable and key-project task-force mechanisms are the domestic channels through which an exhibition lead becomes a filed, serviced project.
Sources
- 广交会官方网站（第 140 届规模与展期）：https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/zh-CN/posts/1039062342492962816
- 广交会官方网站（关于广交会）：https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/about?pageCode=33414c3a293b4349aa5c5dc60dfb1b42
- 商务部：张力部长助理介绍第 140 届广交会有关情况（2026-09-18）：http://interview.mofcom.gov.cn/detail/202609/ff808081a0bd001901a0bdb482130008.html
- 商务部官网首页：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/?crbkh
- 商务部政策发布：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zcfb/index.html
- 商务部：鄢东副部长介绍第五届全球数字贸易博览会（2026-09-07）：http://interview.mofcom.gov.cn/detail/202609/ff808081a08f4c1801a0a41fe752002b.html
- 中国商务新闻网：第二十六届投洽会成果：https://www.comnews.cn/node_738.html
- 《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》官方英文全文：https://www.hunan.gov.cn/zqt/zcsd/202607/34034823/files/7660c23769ae4f51ac21a456fe4e0ea5.pdf
2026 年秋季中国投资贸易促进平台日历：投洽会、第 140 届广交会与全球数字贸易博览会
概述
2026 年中国秋季投资贸易季从 9 月初延续至 11 月初，由三个国家级平台串联：9 月 8 日至 11 日在厦门举办的第二十六届中国国际投资贸易洽谈会（投洽会）、9 月 23 日至 27 日在杭州举办的第五届全球数字贸易博览会，以及 10 月 15 日至 11 月 4 日在广州举办的第 140 届中国进出口商品交易会（广交会）。
对正在规划进入中国、扩大布局或组织采购的外资企业而言，这一日历是一连串有明确日期的机会。本文梳理各平台的功能与时间，并聚焦广交会面向采购商的便利安排，以及投洽会背后的投资促进机制，如何把一次到访转化为落地项目。
2026 年秋季日历一览
- 第二十六届投洽会——2026 年 9 月 8 日至 11 日，厦门，永久主题为”扩大双向投资 共促全球发展”。
- 第五届全球数字贸易博览会——2026 年 9 月 23 日至 27 日，杭州，国家级数字贸易专业展会。
- 第 140 届广交会——2026 年 10 月 15 日至 11 月 4 日，广州，分三期举办。
第 140 届广交会：时间、规模与分期
商务部部长助理张力于 2026 年 9 月 18 日出席国新办发布会介绍本届情况。本届广交会于 2026 年 10 月 15 日至 11 月 4 日在广州中国进出口商品交易会展馆举办，由商务部与广东省人民政府共同主办，中国对外贸易中心承办，分三期举行：
- 第一期，10 月 15 日至 19 日——先进制造。
- 第二期，10 月 23 日至 27 日——品质家居。
- 第三期，10 月 31 日至 11 月 4 日——美好生活。
规模是本届的鲜明特征：展览总面积 155 万平方米，设 54 个专业展区、超 7.5 万个展位，超 3 万家企业参展。作为参照，第 139 届广交会共有来自 220 个国家和地区的 31.4 万境外采购商线下参会。
本届的重点方向
9 月 18 日发布会上披露的三组数据界定了本届特征。3.2 万家参展企业中，专精特新、单项冠军等优质企业超过 1.1 万家；64% 的参展企业应用工业互联网、人工智能等新技术；新产品与绿色产品占展出产品的比重分别达 23.2% 与 26%，均创历史新高。
广交会也在把人工智能嵌入办展全过程：首次推出 22 个智慧应用场景和 16 项人工智能特色应用，并将实现全馆展位级导航与展位增强现实信息展示。在服务方面，贸易服务展区提质，首次实现十大类生产性服务业全覆盖，36.5% 的参展企业实施”产品+服务”的模式转型。
采购商便利：预登记、签证与通关
采购商参会安排作了调整。
- 预登记。 本届首次全年开放境外采购商预登记。中国对外贸易中心介绍，已有 196 个国家和地区超 21 万名采购商预登记，其中专业采购商占比近八成。
- 办证。 新采购商可在机场、车站、港口、指定酒店及香港办事处等远端站点免费办证。
- 签证与入境。 广东推出 29 项提质升级举措，在白云机场等重点口岸设置广交会专用通道，落实 240 小时过境免签，推行”专人专窗、即到即办”。
- 通关。 展品备案、申报、预约通关全流程线上办理。
- 市内通行。 广州在机场、琶洲口岸开设专属通道，划定公交地铁专用时刻表，每天调度超 2000 辆出租车、网约车。
投洽会与全球数字贸易博览会（简述）
投洽会即”九八”投洽会，第二十六届于 2026 年 9 月 8 日至 11 日在厦门举办。展览面积由往届 12 万平方米扩大至 20 万平方米，整体迁至厦门国际博览中心，首次推出双主宾国（沙特、芬兰）与双主宾省机制。据组委会通报，共有来自 129 个国家和地区、30 个国际组织的 1200 多个政府官方机构与工商企业团组参会，大会客商总数超过 10 万人。
第五届全球数字贸易博览会由商务部副部长鄢东于 2026 年 9 月 7 日在国新办新闻发布会介绍，于 9 月 23 日至 27 日在杭州举办，是观察数字贸易、电子商务与人工智能相关市场进入机会的平台。
把参展线索转为落地项目
2026 年印发的《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》在第三部分”提高投资促进水平”中，规定了这些展会背后的工作机制：强化”投资中国”品牌，每月召开外资企业圆桌会议，并建立重点外资项目工作专班提供”点对点”服务。
与展会合起来看，这套机制正是把展位上的交谈转化为项目的通道。商务部将投洽会定位为”投资中国”的标志性展会，拟将其打造为促进双向投资、权威信息发布、投资趋势研讨的高能级合作平台，并邀请有关地方参与”投资中国”境外活动，开展项目对接与地方营商环境推介。商务部还同外交部等 12 个单位联合发布年度《外国商务人士在华工作生活指引》，现有中英文版本。
外资企业实务提示
- 从项目倒推日历。 先确定目标是采购（广交会）、投资促进（投洽会）还是数字贸易合作（全球数字贸易博览会），再据此选择参会的期次与平台。
- 尽早办理采购商登记。 全年开放的预登记与远端办证点，可降低首次参会的摩擦。
- 用好入境通道。 240 小时过境免签与口岸专用通道是展会之行底层的便利安排；出行前先核实适用资格。
- 提前准备通关事项。 对参展企业而言，线上备案、申报与预约通关意味着单证可在货物启运前办结。
- 规划展后跟进。 圆桌会议与重点外资项目工作专班机制，是把参展线索变为已备案、有服务的境内通道。
来源
- 广交会官方网站（第 140 届规模与展期）：https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/zh-CN/posts/1039062342492962816
- 广交会官方网站（关于广交会）：https://www.cantonfair.org.cn/about?pageCode=33414c3a293b4349aa5c5dc60dfb1b42
- 商务部：张力部长助理介绍第 140 届广交会有关情况（2026-09-18）：http://interview.mofcom.gov.cn/detail/202609/ff808081a0bd001901a0bdb482130008.html
- 商务部官网首页：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/?crbkh
- 商务部政策发布：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zcfb/index.html
- 商务部：鄢东副部长介绍第五届全球数字贸易博览会（2026-09-07）：http://interview.mofcom.gov.cn/detail/202609/ff808081a08f4c1801a0a41fe752002b.html
- 中国商务新闻网：第二十六届投洽会成果：https://www.comnews.cn/node_738.html
- 《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》官方英文全文：https://www.hunan.gov.cn/zqt/zcsd/202607/34034823/files/7660c23769ae4f51ac21a456fe4e0ea5.pdf