China trade fairs 2026
China trade fairs 2026 are the halls B2B buyers actually fly for: Canton Fair, Yiwu, Hong Kong Electronics, Global Sources, CHTF and CIIE. A date without a phase is a flight into the wrong hall. Papillon locks one phase, a booth list, and one day on the line that makes the goods.
2026 dates
13–16 Apr
Hong Kong Electronics, spring
Components and OEM desks. The line check is in Shenzhen, not in the hall.
April
Global Sources, spring phases
Several category windows. Pick one. Do not walk every phase.
15–19 Apr
Canton Fair, phase 1
Electronics, machinery, lighting and tools.
23–27 Apr
Canton Fair, phase 2
Home, furniture and gifts. This is the furniture week.
1–5 May
Canton Fair, phase 3
Fashion, textile and health. A different hall from phase 1.
13–16 Oct
Hong Kong Electronics, autumn
Sits just before autumn Canton. Leave the next days for Shenzhen.
October
Global Sources, autumn phases
Same month as Hong Kong Electronics. Different organiser, different venue.
15–19 Oct
Canton Fair, phase 1
Autumn electronics and machines. Same categories as the spring phase 1.
21–24 Oct
Yiwu Fair
Small goods. Confirm the days before you fly. Not the same weekend as Canton phase 2.
23–27 Oct
Canton Fair, phase 2
Home and furniture again. A transfer from Yiwu only works with a list for each day.
31 Oct–4 Nov
Canton Fair, phase 3
Fashion and textile. End of the autumn Canton cycle.
5–10 Nov
CIIE
Built for import into China. A weak first stop if you are sourcing goods out.
Mid-Nov
CHTF
Technology and devices. Not furniture, fabric, or mixed small goods. Confirm the week.
Worth the flight
- The category lives in one named phase.
- You can spare a day at the plant after the hall.
- A sample still has to pass before any deposit.
- October overlap is a transfer with a list, not a hope.
Skip the flight
- You want five fairs in one ticket.
- There is no product request, only a city.
- CIIE is the plan for a first export order.
- The booth card is meant to replace a factory visit.
How to use the year
Pick one phase, build the booth list, walk with a question, then leave for the plant that actually makes the goods.
Name the phase
Match the category to one row above. Electronics is not the furniture week. Small goods are not CHTF.
Write the booth list
Eight to twelve stands, with a question for each: factory or trader, MOQ, lead time, and who invoices.
Hold the plant day
The hotel follows the phase. The day after the hall is the line, in the city that supplies that phase.
Decide after the report
Cards are not an order. Sample, QC and landed cost come before the deposit.
October is three trips if you let it be
Hong Kong Electronics opens the autumn stack on 13–16 October. Global Sources runs its own October phases at AsiaWorld-Expo. Canton phase 1 starts 15 October in Guangzhou. Yiwu sits around 21–24 October, then Canton phase 2 on 23–27 October.
Those dates can share a trip only when each day has its own list and the transfer is real. Without that you collect two bags of cards and remember neither hall. Papillon would rather drop the second fair than pretend one weekend covers both.
The phase map is on the Canton Fair page. Yiwu is a different walk. So are Hong Kong Electronics and Global Sources.
One phase, one plant
Phase 1 in Pazhou points at Shenzhen, Dongguan and the electronics belt. Phase 2 points at Foshan and the furniture towns. Yiwu points at the wholesale districts and the consolidation warehouse, not at a Canton OEM line.
CHTF stays in Shenzhen because the plants are in the same city. CIIE stays in Shanghai and still does not replace a sourcing fair. The 2027 season keeps these pairings. Only the published day changes.
What a ticket does not buy
A hall does not ship goods. A sample that is not already in your hand still takes about 2–5 weeks. Sea freight is about 35–52 days after the container is sealed. QC happens before that seal, at the plant or the consolidation warehouse, not at the booth.
Landed cost needs the packed cube, the duty and the origin papers. A trade agreement does not turn on because you attended a fair. The HS code and the certificate of origin do that work later, on the order.
The research before the ticket is 1–3 weeks. That is the booth list. The deposit waits for a written sample approval.
A first trip picks one row
If this is the first order, pick one Canton phase that matches the category, or Yiwu when the goods are small and the quantity is mixed. Do not open with CIIE. Do not open with CHTF unless the product is a device with a board in it.
Papillon writes one request, walks one phase, and sends a report that says who to call and who to drop. The series exists only after that report.
Dates move by a day or two
Organizers shift a day. We tie the flight to their confirmation, not to a page from August. The rows above are the working 2026 map. If a week moves, the phase and the plant day stay. The hotel moves with them.
Until that confirmation, the useful work is the list. A calendar without names is a paid empty hall.
Frequently asked questions
Spring runs 15 April to 5 May. Autumn runs 15 October to 4 November. Each cycle has three phases. Confirm the week before you book the flight.
The autumn dates sit close. Both can fit if each day has a booth list and the transfer is booked. Without that you get two bags of cards.
One Canton phase that matches the category, or Yiwu for small mixed goods. CIIE is not that first fair. CHTF is not that first fair for general merchandise.
Often by a day or two. The flight waits for the organizer. The phase and the factory day do not wait.
Next step
Send the request: category, quantity, and date. You get a reply within 24 hours, with an outline of the total cost to destination where we can price it.