CHINA HI-TECH FAIR

About the fair

China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), which debuted in 1999, is co-organized each year in Shenzhen by national-government ministries and commissions and the Shenzhen municipal government. Each CHTF has exceeded 100,000 sq m of total exhibition space, with around 3,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries and over 500,000 visitors — currently the largest and most influential science-and-technology exhibition in China, known as 'China's No. 1 Tech Fair.' CHTF combines achievement deals, product displays, a high-level forum, trade-project attraction, and cooperation and exchange, focusing on advanced technologies in energy saving, environmental protection, next-generation IT, biology, high-tech equipment manufacturing, new energy, new materials and new-energy vehicles. Over the years CHTF has become an important window onto China's high-tech sectors, advancing the commercialization, industrialization and internationalization of high-tech achievements and promoting economic and technological exchange between countries and regions.

Manufacturers making what this fair covers

Factories in our directory whose product lines match this fair. Worth contacting before you book the trip — or instead of it.

Planning the trip

• Register the badge online. Every major fair issues visitor badges in advance, and on-site registration means queueing on the busiest morning of the show. Registration usually opens one to two months out.
• Check the visa position early. China's entry rules have changed repeatedly in recent years, including visa-free arrangements for a growing list of countries and transit exemptions. Confirm what applies to your passport for this month, and ask the organiser for an invitation letter if a business visa is needed — issuing one is routine.
• Book accommodation before the dates firm up. A large fair fills its host city and rates move accordingly. Cancellable bookings made early cost less than confirmed ones made late.
• Decide which halls before you arrive. The bigger Chinese fairs run to several halls across separate phases, and walking them without a plan burns a day. Shortlist the stands you need and treat anything else as a bonus.
• Plan the follow-up, not just the visit. Business cards collected at a fair convert poorly once you fly home: quotes arrive in patchy English, samples stall, and the time difference eats a day per exchange. Deciding who handles that before you travel is what makes the trip pay for itself.