On September 3, the 21st China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair (CISMEF) officially opened at Area D of the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou. As one of the most influential international exchange platforms for SMEs in the Asia-Pacific region, this year's CISMEF is themed "AI Empowering SMEs," comprehensively showcasing the latest achievements and trends of global SMEs in technological innovation, digital and intelligent transformation, and internationalization. To date, over 2,000 domestic and international enterprises have registered to exhibit, occupying more than 3,700 booths, setting new records for both exhibition scale and international participation.
International cooperation and multilateral exchange stand out as core highlights of this year's CISMEF. Notably, all 21 APEC member economies have confirmed their participation, underscoring the fair's pivotal role in facilitating economic and trade cooperation among SMEs across the Asia-Pacific and beyond. The international and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan exhibition zones feature a meticulously curated 718 booths, attracting 510 enterprises from 43 countries, regions, and international organizations. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of Indonesia and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization serve as the Guests of Honor, reflecting the international community's strong commitment to the sustainable development of SMEs. Indonesia has set up a dedicated exhibition space of approximately 1,300 square meters to showcase local enterprises' signature products and innovative technologies, building a solid bridge for in-depth exchange and production capacity cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises.
In terms of industrial layout, artificial intelligence emerges as the defining keyword of this year's fair. The exhibition closely revolves around traditional, emerging, and future industries, with a focus on new products, technologies, and applications in cutting-edge fields such as AI, robotics, high-end equipment, and new energy and materials. To highlight the pivotal role of SMEs as innovators, the SRDI exhibition zone across provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions features 1,480 booths, bringing together 1,166 outstanding enterprises. This includes 403 SRDI "Little Giant" enterprises and 60 National Manufacturing Single Champion enterprises. Representing the highest technological standards in their respective niche markets, their collective showcase not only demonstrates the solid strides China's manufacturing sector is taking toward high-end and intelligent development but also injects robust new quality productive forces into the stabilization and upgrading of global industrial and supply chains.
Furthermore, the fair has segmented into multiple specialized fields, establishing dedicated exhibition zones for SME digital and intelligent transformation, industrial design, embodied intelligence, integrated circuits, and the global expansion of SME characteristic industrial clusters. These specialized zones respectively focus on key areas such as corporate digital upgrading, industrial design innovation, cutting-edge robotics, core IC technologies, and foreign trade expansion. In particular, the embodied intelligence and integrated circuits zones align closely with the very forefront of current technological development, providing a vital window for SMEs to seize future industry opportunities and achieve technological breakthroughs.
For Guangdong and the nation's manufacturing sector at large, this year's CISMEF also serves as a crucial window to observe manufacturing transformation and the internationalization of SMEs. As a manufacturing powerhouse, Guangdong is actively leveraging the SME Characteristic Industrial Clusters Going Global Exhibition Zone to strongly promote in-depth matchmaking between its traditional advantageous clusters—such as apparel and bags, beauty and personal care, toys and gifts, and home appliances—and cross-border e-commerce platforms, global retailers, and overseas buyers. This initiative not only helps SMEs broaden international market channels and enhance their global brand influence but also serves as a vital practice in stabilizing and improving the quality of foreign trade and achieving high-level opening-up.
According to the official schedule, September 3 was primarily dedicated to the grand opening ceremony and related key events. From September 4 to 6, the exhibition will be open to the public. During this time, visitors will have the opportunity to experience up close in Guangzhou the innovative prowess of SRDI "Little Giant" enterprises, National Manufacturing Single Champions, and SMEs from the Asia-Pacific and global markets, jointly witnessing the vigorous development and boundless possibilities of global SMEs in the age of artificial intelligence.