Research from the underlying data.
Findings from our own dataset of 5,580 Chinese suppliers, cross-checked against the public business registry. Every figure recomputes as the dataset is re-swept, so these pages do not go stale. Free to cite with a link.
SUPPLIER VERIFICATION · AS OF 2026-08-04
One in five Canton Fair exhibitors is not a factory
20.6% of 5,580 exhibitors are registered as trading companies rather than manufacturers. Their registered address gives them away 44.3% of the time, and 33.7% of companies overstate headcount by 2× or more against social-insurance filings.
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BUYER’S GUIDE · AS OF 2026-08-04
Canton Fair 2026: dates, all three phases, and the vetting to do first
The autumn session runs Oct 15 – Nov 4 in three category-specific phases. Registration is simpler than the agencies make it sound — and the registry has plenty to say about the exhibitors before you fly.
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PLATFORM TRUST · AS OF 2026-08-04
Is Alibaba safe? What its badges actually verify — and what they don’t
Gold Supplier is a membership fee, Verified Supplier is a report worth reading, Trade Assurance ends at your paperwork — and 2.4% of registered traders in our sample claim manufacturing in their own copy.
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REGISTRY MANUAL · AS OF 2026-08-04
China’s business registry (GSXT): how to look up a company in English
GSXT is free, authoritative and Chinese-only. Getting from an English trade name to the record that matters takes three steps — and Hong Kong entities live in a different registry entirely.
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