The trade relationship between Brazil and China has one very well known side and one that is barely explored. The known side is importing: the container that leaves Guangzhou full of electronics, machinery and consumer goods. The less explored side, from the point of view of whoever plans the trip, is exporting: the soya, the beef, the coffee and the pulp that make China the largest buyer of Brazilian goods. CIIE is the fair that organises that second side, and it is unlike anything you see at the other Chinese fairs.
CIIE (China International Import Expo) is the only national-level fair in the world devoted exclusively to importing, and the 9th edition runs from 5 to 10 November 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. This guide covers what the fair is, what the Brazilian exporter finds there, how it fits into the autumn season of Chinese fairs, and how to turn one trip to China into business on both sides.
What CIIE is: China’s import fair
Created in 2018 and held every year under the seal of China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Shanghai municipal government, CIIE was born with a clear purpose: to open the Chinese market to foreign products and to show the world a China that buys, not only one that supplies. That is why it inverts the logic of every other fair. While the Canton Fair brings together thousands of Chinese factories selling to the foreign buyer, at CIIE it is the foreign companies that exhibit, and the people walking the aisles in search of a supplier are China’s importers, distributors and large retail chains.
The fair is organised into broad business areas, and each one opens a different door for the foreign product:
The block where Brazil is a giant: meat, grain, sugar, coffee, fruit, nuts and drinks. The main draw for the Brazilian exporter.
Branded food, cosmetics, fashion, homeware and value-added products chasing a place on the Chinese retail shelf.
Medical devices, health and wellbeing from manufacturers worldwide, presented to the Chinese healthcare system.
Foreign automation, technology and industrial equipment for Chinese industry and services.
Carmakers, parts and mobility chasing the Chinese consumer, the largest car market on the planet.
Services, tourism, financial technology and logistics, the intangible side of trade between the two countries.
Why CIIE matters to the Brazilian company
China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, and much of that flow is the commodity that leaves the port in bulk. CIIE is where the company that wants to go beyond the commodity, or to enter for the first time, meets the Chinese buyer face to face. Instead of depending on a trading house or a distant intermediary, the exporter presents directly to whoever signs off the purchase in China.
- Access to the right buyer: Chinese distributors, importers, supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms work the fair looking for suppliers. It is the audience a Brazilian company would take years to map on its own.
- A stage for agribusiness: beef and poultry, soya and its derivatives, sugar, coffee, pulp, cotton, honey and fruit are the backbone of what Brazil sells to China, and CIIE is the annual shop window for that portfolio.
- Room for added value: beyond the commodity there is space for specialty coffee, natural cosmetics, footwear, branded food and premium products seeking a place on the Chinese retail shelf.
- A political and commercial signal: CIIE is a state showcase. Being there brings visibility, credibility and high-level contacts that an ordinary stand does not offer.
- National pavilion: Brazilian participation is usually arranged as a national pavilion, with support from ApexBrasil, which cuts the cost and the risk of going alone for the first time.
The other side of the ledger: Brazil sells a great deal to China, but almost always in bulk, with no brand and no margin. CIIE is where a company stops being merely the origin of a commodity and starts building presence, relationships and added value in the market that buys more from the country than any other.
CIIE rewards those who prepare
No fair closes a deal on its own, and CIIE least of all, because the Chinese buyer is demanding and the context is a different one. Turning up unprepared means paying for a flight in order to hand out business cards. A few precautions separate the trip that pays off from the one that only costs:
1. Material only in Portuguese or English. The CIIE buyer reads and negotiates in Mandarin. A catalogue, a technical sheet or a proposal with no Chinese version loses ground the moment the conversation starts.
2. Not understanding Chinese sanitary requirements. Selling food to China involves establishment registration (GACC), labelling and specific requirements. Arriving without that homework done stalls the deal after the fair.
3. Ignoring the follow-up. The Chinese side closes through relationships and on its own timetable. A contact made at the fair only becomes a contract with serious follow-up over the following weeks, which takes presence and language.
None of this makes the trip unfeasible, but it shows why anyone who goes well accompanied, with an interpreter, a set agenda and local support, gets a different level of value out of the fair than someone improvising.
The trip that sells and buys: CIIE, Canton and Yiwu
Here is the point almost nobody takes advantage of. CIIE does not happen in isolation: it falls right at the end of the autumn season of Chinese fairs, straight after Canton Fair Phase 3 and still inside the window of the Yiwu Trade Fair. That means a single flight to China in November can serve both sides of the business: selling Brazilian products at CIIE and buying Chinese products at Canton and in Yiwu.
| What you want to do | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Sell Brazilian products to the Chinese market | CIIE (Shanghai) | 5 to 10 November |
| Buy textiles, toys, food and gifts | Canton Fair Phase 3 (Guangzhou) | 31 Oct to 4 November |
| Buy variety in volume, by catalogue | Yiwu Trade Fair | October and November |
Shanghai and Guangzhou are a short flight apart, and the sequence of dates makes it possible to design an itinerary that starts with buying and ends with selling, or the other way round. It is worth checking the full calendar of China trade fairs 2026 to fit the dates together, along with the guides to the cost of a business trip to China and the China visa to plan the logistics.
The two-way itinerary: most companies cross the world to do only half the business. Whoever plans the November season properly comes home with a Chinese supplier chosen for importing and a Chinese buyer interested in what Brazil produces. The same hotel night works for both sides of the trade balance.
How BCVN organises your November trip to China
BCVN is a business bridge between Brazil and China, and November is the month when that bridge runs in both directions. We organise the trip end to end: agenda, travel between Shanghai and Guangzhou, accommodation, a Mandarin interpreter and support in the meetings, whether at the CIIE stand or in the aisles of Canton and Yiwu. For those who are buying, we map and vet the factories and handle negotiation, inspection and importing. For those who also want to explore selling to China, we help build the contact agenda and structure the trip around the fair.
The advantage of being there is the same on both sides: relationships are built face to face, and business with China runs on trust. You arrive, take part, negotiate and come home with the season settled, instead of betting from a distance. Because dates change with every edition, we always reconfirm the official schedule before closing any trip.
Frequently asked questions about CIIE and selling to China
When and where does CIIE 2026 take place?
CIIE 2026, the 9th China International Import Expo, runs from 5 to 10 November 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. It is the only national-level fair in the world devoted exclusively to importing, that is, to foreign products and services looking to enter the Chinese market. Dates change with every edition, so reconfirm the official schedule before booking the trip.
Is CIIE for importing from China or for exporting to China?
For exporting. CIIE is the opposite of the other Chinese fairs: instead of Chinese factories selling to the world, foreign companies exhibit to the Chinese buyer. For Brazil, it is the showcase where agribusiness, food, drink and value-added products present themselves to importers, distributors and retail chains in China. Anyone sourcing Chinese products goes to the Canton Fair; anyone wanting to sell to China goes to CIIE.
What can Brazil sell at CIIE?
Brazil arrives strong in the food and agricultural block: beef and poultry, soya and its derivatives, sugar, coffee, pulp, cotton, honey, fruit, nuts and juices. There is also room in the consumer goods, services and value-added blocks, with items such as natural cosmetics, footwear, specialty coffee and branded products. Brazilian participation is usually organised as a national pavilion, with support from ApexBrasil.
Is it worth a Brazilian company attending CIIE?
Yes, for anyone who wants to enter or grow in the Chinese market. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, and CIIE gathers in one place the large Chinese buyers, distributors and retail chains that are looking for foreign suppliers. It is the chance to present the product, understand what the Chinese buyer demands, sign letters of intent and build relationships. As with any fair, the return depends on preparation: material in Mandarin, an understanding of the market and serious follow-up after the event.
Can CIIE be combined with a buying trip in China?
It can, and it is the most profitable itinerary. CIIE (5 to 10 November, Shanghai) takes place right after Canton Fair Phase 3 (31 October to 4 November, Guangzhou) and in the same season as the Yiwu Trade Fair. A single trip to China in November lets you sell to the Chinese market at CIIE and, on the same journey, buy Chinese products to import. The company puts the structure of one trip to work on both sides of the business, exporting and importing.