Held each April and October, Canton Fair is China's largest trade fair with a complete product range of Chinese commodities. It is divided into three phases, with the first phase focusing on Machinery, Electrical and Electronic products, the second phase focusing on Home and Decoration, while the third phase focusing on textiles, garments and fashion accessories.

In the previous 105th April session, the fair featured 55,885 booths in a 1,125,000-sqm exhibition area, attracting 165,436 buyers from 209 countries and regions. The attendees were decrease for about 5.2% or 9126 as compared to the last session.

The 106th China Import and Export Fair (or "Canton Fair") will be held from 15-19 October 2009 (phase 1), 23-27 October 2009 (phase 2), 31 October - 4 November 2009 (phase 3) at China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, the center of the Pearl River Delta manufacturing powerhouse and close to provincial exporting bases. It is reduced by two days from the normal 23 days to 21 days.