{"id":394683,"date":"2026-04-16T05:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/394683\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T05:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T05:05:11","slug":"canton-fair-under-middle-east-cloud-but-sets-records-as-high-costs-hit-chinas-exporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/394683\/","title":{"rendered":"Canton Fair under Middle East cloud, but sets records, as high costs hit China\u2019s exporters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Rising tensions in the Middle East cast a fresh shadow over the opening of China\u2019s largest trade fair, at a time when the impact of geopolitical shocks is being reflected in the nation\u2019s trade figures.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">In conversations across sprawling exhibition halls after the Canton Fair opened its doors on Wednesday in China\u2019s manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, domestic exporters and foreign buyers sounded each other out, trying to gauge how far those shocks might ripple through global trade.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">The threat of US tariffs continues to weigh on sentiment, and exporters across a range of industries discussed how they spent the past few years reducing reliance on the American market. Several have been pinning hopes on Europe as a lifeline, while growth in demand from emerging markets has also offered a cushion.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Yet, widening uncertainties amid Middle East tensions are forcing a reassessment. Chinese exporters say geopolitical risks, from disrupted air routes to energy-driven inflation, are exposing fresh vulnerabilities in the very markets that they had come to depend on.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Spanning three weeks, the Canton Fair, formally known as the China Import and Export Fair, is widely seen as a bellwether for China\u2019s vast export machine. This edition features a total exhibition area of 1.55 million square metres (16.68 million square feet), 75,700 booths and more than 32,000 participating companies \u2013 all exceeding records, according to organisers. There are also about 3,900 first-time exhibitors.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People attend the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP\" data-qa=\"BaseImage-handleRenderImage-StyledImage\" class=\"e1gf69pb2 css-6ikqhs e445x7d0\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0650ef53-d1bd-4ffb-94f5-ba82138c830a_9b6df90f.jpg\" title=\"People attend the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP\"\/>People attend the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Jason Tan, a lighting exporter from Zhongshan, Guangdong province, said travel disruptions might affect buyer attendance. \u201cReduced flight frequencies and higher prices for routes via the Middle East have not only restricted Middle Eastern buyers, but also affected customers from Europe and parts of Asia, due to transit issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rising tensions in the Middle East cast a fresh shadow over the opening of China\u2019s largest trade fair,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[187572,187571,114,65781,1657,187570,187569,184,63,13741,13738,85,46,47,27204,162198,187573,33988,80844],"class_list":{"0":"post-394683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-abs-plastic","9":"tag-american-market","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-canton-fair","12":"tag-china","13":"tag-china-import-and-export-fair","14":"tag-daily-economic-news","15":"tag-economy","16":"tag-europe","17":"tag-guangdong-province","18":"tag-guangzhou","19":"tag-il","20":"tag-israel","21":"tag-middle-east","22":"tag-us-tariffs","23":"tag-us-israel-war-on-iran","24":"tag-yiwu-cross-border-e-commerce-association","25":"tag-zhejiang-province","26":"tag-zhongshan"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}