China Foreign Trade Centre

What China Foreign Trade Centre does

China Foreign Trade Centre (中国对外贸易中心) is a non-profit, government-affiliated institution wholly owned by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, headquartered at 382 Yuejiang Middle Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. Founded in 1988 with roots going back to the launch of the Canton Fair (广交会, China Import and Export Fair) in 1957, the Centre operates as China's flagship trade promotion institution, organizing and managing the Canton Fair and a portfolio of branded exhibitions, as well as maintaining dedicated exhibition infrastructure including the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou (operational since 2003) and the National Exhibition Center in Tianjin. It supports an organizational headcount of 1,001–5,000 employees and maintains a Hong Kong liaison office in Wan Chai for Asia-Pacific engagement.

The Centre's core offering is a comprehensive exhibition and event services platform. Its product portfolio comprises the Canton Fair itself (held in three phases annually and now in its 139th session), large-scale venue rental at the Guangzhou and Tianjin complexes, and a suite of add-on services including exhibition engineering (cantonfairedc.com), advertising services (cantonfairad.com), business travel booking, on-site exhibition services, conference and event hosting, and a dedicated exhibition catering brand called Xindadi Catering (新大地·餐饮) operated via its wholly-owned subsidiary Guangdong Xindadi Hotel (广东新大地宾馆). Corporate event clients include major multinational brands such as McDonald's, Amway, BMW, Volkswagen, Mazda, and Evergrande, which use the venues for annual meetings, product launches, and large-scale events.

Its business model is that of a managed-services trade promotion platform: revenue is generated from venue rental and service fees, exhibitor and buyer participation fees tied to the Canton Fair and other branded exhibitions (e.g., the Tianjin Brand Exhibition and the China Construction Expo in Guangzhou), and ancillary services such as catering, advertising, and travel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated on a per-event basis. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across international trade buyers (US, UAE, Tunisia, Chile), Chinese exporters and manufacturers, and corporate event organizers, with go-to-market executed through direct enterprise sales, official websites, WeChat platforms, international trade delegations, and buyer invitation programs.

Name

China Foreign Trade Centre

Legal name

中国对外贸易中心

Website

https://cftc.org.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

China Foreign Trade Centre is a Chinese Ministry of Commerce–affiliated institution that organizes the Canton Fair and manages large-scale exhibition venues in Guangzhou and Tianjin, serving international buyers, Chinese exporters, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guangzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Trade Fair and Exhibition Management: Operates as a state-owned institution under China's Ministry of Commerce, generating revenue through managing the Canton Fair, venue operations, exhibition services, and related trade promotion activities.
2. Exhibition Support Services: Provides exhibition services including exhibition engineering, advertising services, business travel, on-site services, conference activities, and catering through subsidiaries like Guangdong New Earth Hotel (广东新大地宾馆) operating the 新大地·餐饮 brand.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

China Foreign Trade Centre operates the Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair) and manages large-scale exhibition venues including the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou and the National Exhibition Center in Tianjin. It provides comprehensive exhibition services to exhibitors, international buyers, and corporate event clients, covering venue rental, exhibition engineering, advertising, business travel, on-site logistics, catering, and conference and event hosting.

Product overview

China Foreign Trade Centre operates as a platform offering comprehensive exhibition services through its portfolio of exhibition venues, event management, and supporting services. The core offerings include the Canton Fair (广交会) — China's largest trade fair — and the National Exhibition Center in Tianjin, both providing exhibition venue management. Supporting services include exhibition engineering, advertising services, business travel services, on-site exhibition services, catering (via Xindadi Catering), conference and event hosting, and brand exhibitions. The organization serves as a platform connecting international buyers with Chinese exhibitors across various sectors, facilitating cross-border trade, innovation, and technological advancement in Chinese manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 新大地·餐饮 (Xindadi Catering): Exhibition catering brand operated by Guangdong Xindadi Hotel, serving the Canton Fair Complex with various food services including fast food, rice pots, business meals, buffets, Chinese banquet dinners, coffee and snacks, tea breaks, customized catering, and banquets.

Products and services

• Canton Fair (广交会 / China Import and Export Fair) China's largest and most influential comprehensive international trade fair, held in three phases annually in Guangzhou, bringing together international buyers and Chinese exhibitors across multiple sectors to facilitate cross-border business, product sourcing, and technological exchange.
• Canton Fair Complex (广交会展馆) Large-scale exhibition venue in Guangzhou managed by China Foreign Trade Centre, equipped with advanced professional facilities suitable for trade fairs, corporate events, dinners, concerts, and sports competitions.
• National Exhibition Center (Tianjin) (国家会展中心 (天津)) Exhibition center in Tianjin operated by China Foreign Trade Centre, hosting brand exhibitions and various trade events.
• Exhibition Engineering (展览工程) Professional exhibition design and construction engineering services for exhibitors at the Canton Fair Complex and other managed venues.
• Advertising Services (广告服务) Advertising and promotional services for exhibitors and events, provided through the Centre's dedicated advertising service platform.
• Business Travel Services (商旅服务) Hotel booking and travel arrangement services for exhibition attendees and trade fair participants.
• Xindadi Catering (新大地·餐饮) Exhibition catering brand operated by subsidiary Guangdong Xindadi Hotel, providing quick meals, claypot rice, business packages, buffets, Chinese banquets, coffee and snacks, tea breaks, custom catering, and banquet services across the Canton Fair Complex A, B, and C zones.
• Conference & Events (会议活动) Event hosting services for corporate events, annual meetings, product launches, concerts, and sports competitions held at the Canton Fair venue.
• Brand Exhibitions (品牌展) Brand-focused exhibitions organized by China Foreign Trade Centre at its managed venues, including the Tianjin Brand Exhibition featuring green home living, prefabricated construction, environmental protection, and eco-friendly products, and the China Construction Expo (广州建博会) held in Guangzhou.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully hosting the Canton Fair for 139+ sessions since 1957

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and moderate.

• Healthcare Institutions (广东省第二人民医院, 广东省中医院大学城医院, 广州市海珠区妇幼保健院, 广州爱尔眼科医院)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Healthcare partnerships providing on-site medical services for employees, including health consultations and eye care services, demonstrating commitment to employee welfare.
• 广东省直机关工委moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2025Received recognition from Guangdong Provincial Government organs for party building work and outstanding individual contributions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fiera Milano: Fiera Milano operates the Rho-Pero exhibition district (one of Europe's largest) and hosts Italian and international trade fairs; comparable scale and integrated venue-plus-event operations model versus CFTC.
• Messe Frankfurt: Messe Frankfurt operates its own exhibition centre and organises consumer and trade fairs worldwide (Ambiente, Heimtextil, etc.), directly mirroring CFTC's combination of venue ownership and large-scale trade fair organisation.
• Informa plc: Informa is the world's largest B2B exhibitions organiser with a portfolio of trade shows, owned venues, and conference businesses globally — closely comparable to CFTC's model of running trade fairs plus venue-based services.
• Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC): HKTDC is a statutory body that organises Hong Kong's flagship trade fairs (Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, Jewellery Show) and trade-mission programmes, structurally comparable to CFTC as a government-affiliated trade promotion institution running exhibitions.
• Messe Düsseldorf: Messe Düsseldorf runs one of the world's largest exhibition complexes and organises flagship trade fairs (drupa, K, MEDICA) — directly comparable in scale and venue-plus-event model to CFTC's Guangzhou and Tianjin complexes.
• Koelnmesse: Koelnmesse runs the Cologne trade fair complex and major B2B exhibitions (gamescom, ISM, Anuga), mirroring CFTC's integration of venue operations with consumer/trade fair hosting.
• Deutsche Messe (Hannover): Deutsche Messe operates the Hannover Exhibition Grounds (home of HANNOVER MESSE) and runs industrial B2B trade fairs, paralleling CFTC's industrial/manufacturing trade fair proposition anchored around the Canton Fair.
• Messe München: Messe München operates the Munich exhibition centre and hosts world-leading trade fairs (bauma, IFAT), an analogous integrated venue-and-fair business model to CFTC's Canton Fair Complex operations.
• RELX / RX (Reed Exhibitions): RELX's RX division operates 400+ trade exhibitions globally, comparable in model to CFTC's organising-and-servicing role for the Canton Fair; both generate revenue through exhibitor fees and on-site services.

Regional players

• China International Exhibition Center Group (CIEC): CIEC operates the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing — a fellow state-owned Chinese exhibition venue and trade fair organiser with a directly comparable operating model focused on the Chinese domestic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about China Foreign Trade Centre