On September 14, the 16th Dongguan Taiwan Famous Products Fair (hereinafter “Taiwan Fair”) concluded successfully. This year’s fair set new records in scale and achievements across economic exchange, cultural integration, and youth interaction. Approximately 541,000 participants joined both online and offline, more than 7,000 buyers attended for procurement, and purchase intentions totaling RMB 4.01 billion were reached. Over 16 consecutive editions, the Taiwan Fair has facilitated cooperation intentions worth RMB 44.87 billion, firmly establishing itself as a bridge for cross-strait cooperation and exchange.
Jointly organized by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the People’s Government of Dongguan City, and the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, the four-day event served as a major platform for advancing cross-strait integration in Guangdong. This year’s Taiwan Fair aimed to implement the Overall Plan for Dongguan to Deepen Cross-Strait Innovation and Development Cooperation (hereinafter the “Dongguan Cross-Strait Plan”), helping Taiwan compatriots and enterprises integrate into China’s new development paradigm and promoting high-quality development.
With the theme of “Strengthening the Chain, Creating the Future through Intelligence”, the Fair covered 33,000 square meters and featured eight major theme halls, including those for Artificial Intelligence, Cross-Strait Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Cross-Strait Agricultural Science and Technology, and Asia, along with 25 provincial (municipal) pavilions, a Taiwan Machinery and Intelligence Zone, a Taiwan Souvenirs Zone, and a Dongguan Taiwan Brand Zone. More than 670 enterprises participated, with over 1,880 booths. The exhibition highlighted AI, electronic information, intelligent manufacturing, biotechnology, and Taiwan’s “One County, One Featured Product,” among other renowned products.
The Fair received widespread acclaim from exhibitors and buyers alike, with many exhibitors securing orders and signing new distribution agreements. Surveys conducted on site found that over 90% of exhibitors expressed intentions to return next year and hoped to expand their booth space.
Record-breaking scale of participation strengthens the foundation of cross-strait cooperation.
For the first time, an “Asia Hall” was set up, bringing together more than 10 Taiwan-funded enterprises from countries and regions such as India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. This provided “Taiwan Fair business opportunities” for Belt and Road partners and attracted greater participation of Taiwan enterprises in the new development framework of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Participation by both Taiwan-based and mainland Taiwan-funded enterprises exceeded the previous edition, covering 22 counties and cities in Taiwan (including Taipei and Kaohsiung), Hong Kong, Macao, as well as 25 provinces and cities such as Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian (Xiamen), Zhejiang (Wenzhou), and Hubei (Huanggang), along with 32 towns and subdistricts in Dongguan.
Business associations also expanded their presence. The Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry and the Taiwan Generator Industry Association joined for the first time, organizing 58 member companies to exhibit. With a continued focus on professional electronics, exhibitors in electronic information and biomedicine accounted for more than 70%. The support of long-time partners and the participation of new allies introduced a greater diversity of products, technologies, and concepts, further consolidating the foundation of cross-strait industrial cooperation.
The Taiwan Fair hosted more than 10 intensive events, including the Intelligent and Robotics Industry Supply Chain Matchmaking Session, promotional events for exhibition halls of cities outside Guangdong, special presentations on intelligent machinery and equipment, and expert forums on foreign investment and trade. These activities explained new policies, facilitated technology exchange, and introduced new products, further enhancing procurement cooperation and industry dialogue.
In line with the “Building a Common Market” initiative set out in the Dongguan Cross-Strait Plan, the fair held the “Hand in Hand, Creating the Future Together” Industrial Cooperation Strategic Signing Ceremony. Dongguan Taiwan Business Investment Enterprises Association signed cooperation agreements with Taiwan Generator Industry Association, Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in Chennai, India, Taiwan Business Association (HK), and the Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam. Major deals were also sealed on site: Weiguang Group and Fu Chun Shin Machinery each secured contracts exceeding RMB 10 million; Qingyu Runda and Lesheng Electronics reached deals worth over RMB 5 million; while Victor Taichung, Wuchuan Audio, and Malaysian companies ESONA and SKB each signed contracts worth over RMB 1 million.
The organizing committee also intended to attract further Taiwan investment in Dongguan through the Fair. At the Dongguan-Taiwan Industrial Park, 20 enterprises registered investment intentions, with a proposed investment area of 85,000 square meters and an intended investment value of RMB 300 million.
More than 3,000 professional visitors attended, including buyers from Southeast Asia and Central Asia, major retail platforms such as JD.com, Xiaomi, and Sam’s Club, and representatives from national-level industry associations. This demonstrated the Taiwan Fair’s strong effectiveness in promoting procurement cooperation and industry exchange.
In response to agricultural sales difficulties caused by typhoon damage in southern Taiwan, the organizing committee launched the initiative “Whatever is available, we will buy”, actively procuring Taiwanese pomelos for sale at the Fair. This fully embodied the concept of “cross-strait family ties”.
At this year’s Taiwan Fair, a charity sales booth drew continuous attention from caring visitors. The “Stars’ Children” (children with autism) showcased hand-painted artworks and parent-child crafts, while the “Smart Creations of Childhood, Chain of Love for the Future” charity auction event saw company representatives actively bidding to purchase items, with proceeds supporting public welfare programs such as art training and life-skills courses for autistic children.
Many exhibitors also chose the Taiwan Fair to debut new products. Among them, Dongguan Jiafeng Electromechanical Equipment Co., Ltd. launched its self-developed lemon juice vending machine in mainland China for the first time. The company’s representative expressed high satisfaction with the Fair, noting the strong government support for Taiwan enterprises, which reflects the profound meaning of “cross-strait family ties”. The products were warmly welcomed by consumers, bringing great encouragement to the company.
More Taiwan youth enter the Greater Bay Area as cross-strait integration deepens.
The Taiwan Brand Image Zone highlighted five key “Dongguan-Taiwan integration business cards”: Dongguan TBA Tower, Dongguan-Taiwan High-Tech Industrial Park, Taiwan Businessmen's Dongguan School, Taixin Hospital, and the Taiwan Fair itself. Many well-known Taiwan enterprises also showcased special exhibits, collectively demonstrating Dongguan’s achievements and promising prospects in advancing cross-strait integration. Taiwan entrepreneurs and business associations from around the world visited the Dongguan-Taiwan High-Tech Industrial Park, extending exchanges and investment opportunities beyond the exhibition floor into local industrial parks.
Dongguan’s solid foundation in cross-strait integration has attracted growing interest from young people in Taiwan. During the Fair, members of the Taiwan Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association and many Taiwan youth visited the Cross-Strait Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hall to learn about Dongguan. Activities such as the themed sharing session “Taiwan Youth in Dongguan: Building Brighter Dreams” and city tours offered immersive experiences of Dongguan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, industrial opportunities, and livability policies. These initiatives sparked enthusiasm among Taiwan youth to pursue development opportunities in Dongguan, injecting fresh vitality into cross-strait exchanges.
Dozens of Taiwan influencers and media personalities also spotlighted the Fair. More than ten Taiwan social media content creators produced on-site coverage, while Taiwan journalist Wu Dongsheng, after his first visit, remarked on the Fair’s impressive scale and Dongguan’s well-developed supporting services that give Taiwan enterprises confidence to grow their businesses. He encouraged more Taiwan youth to explore opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The Taiwan Fair is not only a major cross-strait economic and trade event but also a cultural exchange platform. During the exhibition, over 40 exchange delegations comprising about 700 Taiwan businessmen and compatriots participated.
The four-day event drew large crowds, showcasing the diverse charms of Taiwan.
This year, the Taiwan Souvenirs and Food Zones were fully upgraded. The Souvenirs Zone gathered more than 100 exhibitors from 22 counties and cities across Taiwan, presenting a “Taiwan Style Corridor” with the concept of “One County, One Featured Product”. The Food Zone recreated the atmosphere of Taiwan’s night markets through themed decoration and authentic vendor selections, offering mainland consumers a one-stop experience of Taiwan’s culinary culture.
The Fair also featured four distinctive themed days, i.e. Culture Day, Intelligent Manufacturing Day, Youth Day, and Partnership Day, blending lion dance, Yingge folk dance, folk music concerts, and other performances to create a large-scale platform integrating trade, culture, technology, and charity.
The Taiwan Famous Fair Fashion Show presented a comprehensive fashion and innovation performance under two themes: “Tracing Eastern Traditions, Weaving National Style Dreams” and “Towards the Future, Energized by Technology”. The show combined traditional Chinese culture with modern innovation, and included a special “Everyday People Renewed” segment, bringing together a wide range of Taiwan enterprises in fashion, technology, sports, and cultural creativity for a comprehensive performance.
In the final two days, the Fair saw a surge of eager buyers. Vendors in the Food Zone reported sell-outs, with one merchant saying all products were sold out by 2 p.m. on Saturday. Wooden toys from Guangsheng Hardware at the Chang’an Pavilion were in short supply due to high demand. Hongwang Foods in the Taiwan Souvenirs Zone sold out within two days, while a Changhua exhibitor noted that Taiwan lion head souvenirs were so popular with visitors that they nearly lost their voices from constant explanations. Meanwhile, Li Shizhen Group at the Huanggang Pavilion mobilized its entire team to provide “micro-traditional Chinese medicine” services to the crowd.
The Taiwan Fair also attracted strong media attention. It was highlighted at the press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and covered extensively by mainstream media, professional outlets, and online influencers. The vibrant cross-strait exchanges were widely reported and actively shared.
Since its launch in 2010, Dongguan Taiwan Famous Products Fair has been successfully held for 16 consecutive editions, growing steadily in scale and influence. It has become the largest cross-strait economic and trade exchange event and the most influential exhibition and sales platform for Taiwan-invested enterprises in mainland China.
