Glimpsing Changes at the China International Fair: Foreign Trade Business Leaders Are Becoming CEOs of Multinational Companies

More and more foreign trade company CEOs are becoming heads of multinational corporations.

On the morning of March 1st, the 34th East China Import and Export Commodity Fair (hereinafter referred to as “Huajiao Fair”), jointly organized by the commerce departments of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Nanjing, and Ningbo, opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

Huajiao Fair site. Organizing Committee of Huajiao Fair provided photo.

According to customs statistics, by 2025, China’s total goods trade import and export value will reach 45.47 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, marking nine consecutive years of growth. Among them, exports totaled 26.99 trillion yuan, up 6.1%. The steady growth reflects the true picture of China’s foreign trade in 2025.

As the largest regional import and export trade exhibition in the domestic light industry and textiles sector, Huajiao Fair has developed since its founding in 1991 into one of China’s largest, most commercially active, widely influential, and highest transaction volume regional international economic and trade events. It continues to strive to help enterprises seize new global opportunities and empower high-quality foreign trade development.

A reporter from The Paper interviewed at the Huajiao Fair site found that many foreign trade company leaders expressed optimism about the outlook for 2026. While optimistic, they are also transforming through new productive forces, strengthening supply chains and channels for overseas expansion, and even establishing factories or sales companies in other countries—choices increasingly made by foreign trade CEOs.

New productive forces boost foreign trade companies’ confidence

By innovating to meet international market demands and promoting global low-carbon transformation through green initiatives, this year’s Huajiao Fair showcases how new productive forces empower foreign trade companies to be more resilient.

At the exhibition, Ningbo Bofu Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. debuted the BA08 foldable treadmill in China and won the Huajiao Fair “Product Innovation Award.”

This foldable treadmill is only as big as a suitcase when folded. (All images in this article, except for credits, are by The Paper reporter Zou Juan.)

“Traditional treadmills are bulky, heavy, and hard to store. We designed this new product specifically for small apartments. It weighs only 25 kilograms, much lighter than traditional models which weigh 40-70 kilograms, and can be folded to reduce length by 30%,” said Lou Jing, the company’s sales director. To facilitate storage, the folded machine resembles a suitcase and can be easily moved. It also has a built-in storage compartment for power cords, remote controls, phones, towels, and other small items.

“Over 90% of our products are exported. In 2024, the US market accounted for 70% of our exports, but by 2025, that proportion dropped to 50%. However, this decline isn’t due to a decrease in sales; on the contrary, overall export volume increased, diluting the US share,” Lou Jing explained. Innovation in technology and materials, along with improved services, are core to their foreign trade breakthroughs.

The new material used in this debut foldable treadmill is a composite of plastic and fiberglass, independently developed by Bofu. It reduces weight and noise, creating a technological barrier that’s hard to replicate. The treadmill also features a dedicated smart app supporting online exercise competitions, where points and rankings can be exchanged for services and products, forming a complete consumer loop that appeals to young consumers. “We also have a fat-burning machine that we’ve been making for over 20 years. At the start of Huajiao Fair, we received a 100 million yuan order. We’re very optimistic about the 2026 foreign trade outlook,” Lou Jing said.

Ever-changing international landscape calls for new breakthrough strategies

The rapidly changing international situation has led many foreign trade companies to explore establishing factories or sales companies abroad as new ways to break through.

3D printed slippers

Scan your foot shape, choose your preferred style and color, and customers can receive a pair of lightweight, durable, and “holey” 3D printed custom slippers. At the exhibition, Anhui Tuo Chi Shoe Co., Ltd.'s innovative product attracted much attention.

“We must try various approaches,” said Zhang Jinsong, the company’s leader, in an interview. Besides innovating products, to cope with complex international conditions, they have increased investment in domestic factories and, since 2021, have also established factories in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other countries. “Additionally, we have opened sales companies in several countries, hiring local staff to run the business. This year, our foreign trade orders have increased by 30%-40% year-on-year. The biggest growth is in the US, where they placed an order for 240,000 pairs at the beginning of the year, and before the goods arrived, they re-ordered 480,000 pairs. We are also considering opening a sales company in the US,” Zhang Jinsong said.

Shanghai Woshi International Trade Co., Ltd., in collaboration with French designers, launched a new line of gardening products.

Interestingly, last year, at the request of clients, Woshi International considered exploring the possibility of establishing factories overseas.

Guo Jun, the company’s deputy general manager, told The Paper that their business covers over 1,000 products across 10 major series, including gardening supplies and pet gardening products, mainly targeting mid-to-high-end international markets. One of their brands has been sold to over 80 countries and regions worldwide, with trademarks registered in the US, Australia, and more than ten other countries. Last year, they participated in the renowned German Cologne Gardening Fair (Spoga Gafa), receiving industry-wide recognition. “Clients believe that our design, marketing, and supply chain management surpass many European companies, which gives us greater confidence,” Guo Jun said.

The Shanghai Municipal Commerce Commission revealed that as the foreign trade landscape rapidly evolves, traditional foreign trade is transforming into a trade-plus-investment development model, with more foreign trade company CEOs becoming heads of multinational corporations.