In short
- Install Alipay and WeChat before you fly. With your bank card, Alipay pays almost everywhere and books Didi taxis; WeChat is how suppliers will contact you.
- Check your entry rule. Many passports (France, most of the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) enter visa-free for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026. US buyers need a visa or the 240-hour transit.
- Pre-register for the Canton Fair online and plan where you will collect your free buyer badge.
- Keep a foreign data plan: with roaming, WhatsApp and Google keep working, unlike on hotel Wi-Fi.
- Send us your supplier list if you want to visit factories between phases: we plan the route and drive you there.
Much has changed since our 2018 tips: many buyers no longer need a visa, daily life runs on the phone, and a foreign card works on the Guangzhou metro. Asiaction has been sourcing in China since 2008 from a French-managed office in Guangzhou, the city of the Canton Fair. Here are the tips we give the buyers we welcome for the fair and for factory visits in the Pearl River Delta, written for companies with large, recurring or project orders.
Before you leave: checklist
Go through this list the week before you fly.
- Passport valid for at least 6 months, with blank pages.
- Entry rule checked: visa-free for your passport (until 31 December 2026), or a visa. If you need one, ask us for an invitation letter.
- Online arrival card filled in before landing.
- Canton Fair buyer badge pre-registered online (free).
- Alipay installed, your card added and your passport verified. Test ordering a Didi in the app.
- WeChat installed and your account created at home.
- Roaming data plan active (hotel Wi-Fi is behind the firewall), or a VPN installed before you leave.
- Bank told about your trip, plus a little cash in yuan.
- Hotel booked early, with its address saved in Chinese for the first taxi from the airport.
- Your brief ready: product specifications, target prices, volumes and business cards.
- Factory visits planned with our team for the days between phases.
Visa and entry: check your passport first
China’s visa-free policy runs until 31 December 2026: holders of ordinary passports from the listed countries can stay up to 30 days, business included. As of October 2026, no extension had been announced: check the official announcement before booking.
| Passport | Rule for this trip | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| France, most EU countries, Switzerland, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand | Visa-free, up to 30 days, business included, until 31 December 2026 | Check the official list before booking. Passport valid at least six months after arrival |
| United States | Not on the 30-day visa-free list | Apply for a business (M) visa with an invitation letter, or use the 240-hour transit |
- 240-hour transit. US citizens, among others, can stay up to 10 days without a visa with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region; Hong Kong counts (official page). Ten days is tight for more than one phase.
- Online arrival card. Since 20 November 2025, you can fill in the arrival card before landing, on the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app or the WeChat or Alipay mini program (embassy notice).
- Hotel registration. You must be registered with the police within 24 hours. Hotels do it at check-in.
- Invitation letters. If you need a visa, for example as a US buyer, Asiaction sends invitation letters to its clients. The Canton Fair’s buyer system also issues one with your badge application.
Pay and get around: install Alipay before you leave
Our number one tip
Install Alipay before the trip; the app is in English. Add your foreign bank card, verify your passport in the app and tell your bank you are travelling. You can then pay almost everywhere and order Didi taxis directly inside Alipay.
- WeChat Pay as a backup. It also accepts foreign cards; fees can apply above a certain amount on both apps. You will need WeChat anyway for your supplier contacts.
- A little cash. Very few people pay cash in China today. It is still accepted, but even street food stalls take Alipay. A few hundred yuan is enough, just in case. Tipping is not expected.
- Metro. In April 2026, Guangzhou reported that nearly 400 metro stations accept tap-in with an international bank card. The fair is on Line 8.
- Taxis. Our advice: avoid street taxis, as some drivers overcharge foreigners. From the airport, a taxi is hard to avoid, because only taxis can wait at the arrivals exit; expect to pay more than normal for that first ride to the hotel. For the rest of your stay, use only Didi, ordered in Alipay: it is safer and usually cheaper, with the price shown upfront and the route tracked.
- Supplier payments are different. Alipay is for daily expenses. Deposits and order payments go by bank transfer to the supplier’s company account, after the company has been checked.
Phone and internet
Google, Facebook, YouTube, X and WhatsApp are blocked on Chinese networks. In practice, what matters is how you connect.
| Connection | Google, WhatsApp, etc. | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign SIM or data plan (roaming) | Work: roaming data is not filtered by the Chinese firewall | Our recommended option; check your plan’s price for China before you leave |
| Hotel Wi-Fi | Blocked: hotel Wi-Fi is behind the firewall | Many websites and services will not load; switch to your roaming data |
| Local Chinese SIM | Blocked | Bought with your passport; useful only if you need a +86 number |
- WeChat, not WhatsApp. Your Chinese contacts do not use WhatsApp; they use WeChat. Install it and create your account at home, before you leave.
- VPN. If you rely on Wi-Fi, some travellers install a VPN before leaving, as it is hard to do once in China. Note that the UK government’s travel advice states that services such as VPNs need to be licensed by the Chinese government. Check the rules before you travel.
Canton Fair practicalities
- Badge. The buyer badge is free. Pre-register on the official buyer site with an ID and a photo. Then collect the badge with your original passport, at the fair or, faster, at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Pazhou Ferry Terminal, designated hotels or the fair’s Hong Kong office.
- Location. The China Import and Export Fair Complex is in Pazhou, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. Take metro Line 8: Xingangdong station for Area A, Pazhou station for Areas B and C.
- Hotels. Pazhou is the closest area; Zhujiang New Town, in Tianhe, has more restaurants. Rooms get expensive during the fair: book early and keep the room between phases.
Dates, products by phase (choose the one that matches what you buy) and our sourcing advice are on our Canton Fair autumn 2026 page. Opening hours and hall maps are on the official Canton Fair website.
Visiting factories between phases
The halls close for setup from 20 to 22 October and from 28 to 30 October 2026. These are the best days to see where your goods would be made.
- By car with our team. We organise factory visits on these days and drive our clients there. Typical routes go to the manufacturing cities around Guangzhou, for example Foshan, Zhongshan or Dongguan.
- Three to four factories a day, maximum. Beyond that, distances and traffic mean rushed visits.
- Send your list early. Tell us which suppliers you want to see, so we group them by area and book appointments.
- Supplier pick-ups are fine. A supplier may offer to collect you at your hotel or at the fair. You can accept.
- Check, not just visit. Compare the business licence with the company on the quotation, and look at the lines that make your product, the workload and the quality checks. Our supplier verification page and our quality control guide list what to look at.
Business practice: what helps on site
- WeChat for contacts. Suppliers will ask to scan your WeChat QR code. After each meeting, note the company, booth number and product on the contact, or you will not know who is who by evening. Bring business cards too.
- Meals. A supplier may invite you to lunch or dinner after a factory visit. You can accept or decline politely.
- Negotiating. The price you hear at the booth is a starting point. The real price depends on your volumes, how often you order, the payment terms and the exact specification. Ask everyone the same questions (Incoterm, MOQ, lead time, payment terms) and get answers in writing.
- No deal at the booth. Compare quotations and check the company before any deposit. The UK government advises taking legal advice before signing a contract in China.
- Keep your passport on you. Police do not accept copies.
A free evening or half-day in Guangzhou
All these places are easy to reach by metro or Didi from Pazhou or Tianhe.
| Place | Why go |
|---|---|
| Shamian Island | A quiet island on the Pearl River with colonial-era European buildings, good for a walk |
| Beijing Road | The city’s best-known pedestrian shopping street, in the old centre |
| Chen Clan Ancestral Hall | A Qing-dynasty clan academy with fine Lingnan carvings, now a folk crafts museum |
| Huacheng Square and Canton Tower | Walk the esplanade of Zhujiang New Town down to the river for the view of Canton Tower, ideally in the evening when both are lit |
| Pearl River night cruise | The lit-up skyline from the water, an easy plan after a day at the fair |
After walking the halls all day, a foot or body massage is a classic way to recover in Guangzhou; our team’s favourite is SPA 9. For dinner and drinks with partners, Party Pier (琶醍) is the riverside bar and restaurant area in Haizhu, the fair’s district.
Stay safe: two rules we give every visitor
Guangzhou is a safe city for business visitors. Two rules still matter more in China than at home:
- Never get into a fight. Even if you are in the right, a physical incident involving a foreigner usually ends at the police station, with possible detention and a long procedure. Walk away. If you are arrested or need help, contact your country’s consulate in Guangzhou.
- Never take drugs. Penalties for drug offences in China are severe, police can carry out drug tests on foreigners, and a positive test can lead to detention even for drugs taken before you arrived (see the UK government travel advice).
Asiaction in Guangzhou
Asiaction has been sourcing in China since 2008. Asiaction Limited was registered in Hong Kong in 2010, and our operations office in Guangzhou is managed by French people. Our team is at the 140th Canton Fair, autumn 2026.
- Office: Room 1613, South Tower, World Trade Center Building, 371-375 Huanshi East Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. For taxi drivers: 广州市越秀区环市东路371-375号世界贸易中心大厦南塔1613室.
- Before the trip: invitation letters for clients who need a visa.
- During the fair: meetings in Guangzhou and checks on the suppliers you meet at the booths.
- Between phases: organised factory visits, by car, with our team.
- After the fair: sourcing, audits, order management and inspections. We inspect every production we follow.
We work for the buyer: our fee is paid by the client, never by the supplier.
FAQ: business trip to China
Do I need a visa to visit the Canton Fair?
Not with an ordinary passport from a visa-free country, such as France, most EU countries, the UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, until 31 December 2026. Check before booking.
Can US buyers come without a visa?
Only with the 240-hour transit: up to 10 days, with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, such as Hong Kong. For a longer stay, apply for a business visa. Asiaction can send an invitation letter to its clients.
How do I pay in China with a foreign card?
Install Alipay before you leave, add your card and verify your passport in the app. You can pay almost everywhere and book Didi taxis inside Alipay. Keep WeChat Pay and a little cash as a backup.
Will Google, Gmail and WhatsApp work in China?
Yes on your foreign data plan: roaming data is not filtered by the Chinese firewall. No on hotel Wi-Fi or a Chinese SIM. With suppliers, use WeChat: your Chinese contacts do not use WhatsApp.
How many factories can I visit in a day?
Three to four at most. When we organise visits between the phases, we drive our clients by car and group the factories by area, for example around Foshan, Zhongshan or Dongguan.
Coming to Guangzhou for the Canton Fair?
Tell us your dates, your products and the suppliers on your list. Our team in Guangzhou will help with your invitation letter, your meetings and your factory visits between phases.
