摘要：The 137th Canton Fair kicks off today, April 15th, continuing its role as a major event in the global trade landscape. For decades

The 137th Canton Fair kicks off today, April 15th, continuing its role as a major event in the global trade landscape. For decades, the Canton Fair has been a platform where businesses from around the world can connect, explore new markets, and strengthen trade ties.

As the world grapples with an evolving global trade environment, the Canton Fair remains a key venue for international trade engagement. To dive deeper into its impact, we’ve invited two distinguished overseas guests, who are here to share their insights on how the Fair continues to support businesses in adapting to these changing dynamics, and China’s broader role in global trade.

David Blair, U.S. Senior Economist

As you know, I haven't had a chance to go to the Canton Fair. It sounds like it would be very interesting. I think it's good for people to have a place where they can get a lot of information on products easily.

But I want to say something about Guangdong in particular. Most of the products that go to the United States from China are manufactured in Guangdong or in Zhejiang Province, south of Shanghai. There are so many small entrepreneurs in Guangdong that produce all kinds of things— to give you an idea, toys, or anything in the world you want to work with. There’s always a cluster that produces them, and they’re very specialized.

I wish the United States had more of that kind of entrepreneurship.

Guangdong’s role is indeed crucial in global trade, and it’s clear that the Canton Fair continues to be an essential platform for these enterprises to grow and network. At the same time, let’s not forget that Guangdong and the Greater Bay Area are also key centers for technology and innovation, leading the way in driving progress across various industries.

Nicolo Salsano, Chief Executive Officer, Europe, Standard Chartered

China is going through a very, very significant transformation. The Chinese economy is taking leadership roles in some key sectors of the economy. You have to think about the AI, think about the big data, EV, clean-tech. China has transformed itself into a leading economy in those fields in particular.

And therefore, that will be a field where Europe and China will form new partnerships. And as China opens up, as the RMB internationalizes, as China pushes its clean energy investment program, there will be a lot of opportunities for Chinese corporates to grow in that environment domestically, but also for foreign companies, notably European companies, to invest into China and find new areas of cooperation next to the existing ones, I have to stress, because clearly, there has already been a fair amount of investment from Europe into China, which is very much the benefit of the European corporate.

Clearly with the high-quality of the Chinese products going into markets in Europe, but also in the U.S. and other markets abroad, that is a very logical step for Chinese companies to pursue the globalization, also in light of the economy here opening up.

Hong Kong is a major international financial center and it will always be a major international financial center. And it's back to back to the technology hub, the innovation hub of the Guangdong province, and the Greater Bay Area, and therefore, that combination between the financial strength of the marketplace and the technological advances, that combination is unique. I think across the world, there's very little other places that are similar in that respect. And therefore, the growth prospects and the prospect of the Greater Bay Area are unique and actually fascinating.

I actually see a very positive future for the area. And again, it's really grounded on the technological side, on the one hand, and the financial center (on the other hand), and that combination of entrepreneurial dynamism and motivation that will drive the strength of the GBA.

In an era marked by rapidly changing trade dynamics and rising protectionism, particularly driven by the disruptive effects of the Trump administration’s tariff policies, the significance of the Canton Fair has never been more pronounced. Amid these shifts, however, the Fair presents a strikingly different picture, showcasing China’s ongoing commitment to open trade. It serves as a beacon, helping companies navigate these challenges and seek new opportunities in a more complex global market.

Foreigners may not see it, but there's almost a class warfare going on in the United States now, because essentially what you've had is stagnation in working-class incomes. Lots of stuff that ordinary people need to live their everyday lives has gotten a lot richer.

But as I say that, that stagnation started 40 years ago—or really started in the late 1970s—long before China was a factor. It's not really due to trade, especially not trade with China. I think what's happened to the American working class is largely due to domestic policies.

So I think despite the short-term decisions of President Trump or whoever president follows, it's more likely to be restricting trade with the rest of the world. I'm hoping that sort of cultural communications, people-to-people communications, all that kind of stuff should be stepped up.

I think that would be a very nice world, and that's where we should be going. And also countries should be able to specialize in what's most beneficial to them. I think America has a lot to gain from having good relations with China. So, I hope we can improve that.

If you look at it from a general perspective, we do have to expect that there will be a slowdown in global economy. There will be an impact of the tariffs for sure in a number of sectors, in a number of geographies. But what we also expect is that the trend to globalization will not diminish. The supply chains on a global scale are very integrated, there's very established mechanisms and trade partnerships.So medium term, the effects will be compensated.

And we fully expect that trade flows will start picking up again, but we also expect that they'll change direction. We expect that trade within Asia will increase, and we also expect that trade in the corridor, Europe, Asia, China and Europe in particular will also increase.

We fundamentally believe that globalization is actually here to stay. There may be a period of uncertainty right now as it relates to global trade flows and trading patterns, but ultimately the very high degree of integration of production chains, of value chains will not be undone.

Our perspective there is the globalization trend will remain intact. We may see changes in trading flows and trading patterns, more intra-Asia trade, more trade between Asia and Europe, but again, from our perspective, where we sit in the middle of these trade flows and have been there for many decades, the patterns that we see that fundamentally underpin global trade are absolutely intact.

The Canton Fair is more than just an exhibition. It is a powerful symbol of China's commitment to openness in global trade. In an era where protectionism is rising and economic policies are shifting, the Fair remains an essential platform for businesses around the world to discover new opportunities and foster relationships.

Chief Producer: Yu Xiaona

Supervising Producer: Shi Shi

Editor: He Jia

Reporter: Li Yinong

Videographer: Hu Kaiwen

Video Editor: Li Qun, Cai Yutian

New Media Coordination: Ding Qingyun, Zeng Tingfang, Lai Xi, Huang Daxun

Overseas Operations Supervising Producer: Huang Yanshu

Overseas Content Coordinator: Huang Zihao

Overseas Operations Editors: Zhuang Huan, Wu Wanjie, Long Lihua, Zhang Weitao

Produced by: Southern Finance Omnimedia Group

来源：中洪博元医学实验帮