China Fisheries & Seafood Expo draws 45,000 global buyers

The China Fisheries and Seafood Expo (CFSE) returned to Qingdao Hongdao with a showing that reinforced its standing as the world’s largest dedicated seafood trade fair, drawing over 45,000 seafood professionals from 136 countries to the three-day event.

Organisers released the 2025 exhibitor list on the show’s official portal this week, confirming the scale of international participation that has become a hallmark of the annual gathering. Buyers, importers, distributors and foodservice executives converged on the Qingdao venue to meet hundreds of exhibitors spanning the full seafood value chain, from aquaculture producers and processors to cold-chain logistics providers and packaging specialists.

For the Chinese fishing and seafood sector, which has steadily climbed the value chain in recent years, CFSE now functions as both a domestic showcase and a vital export gateway. The breadth of nationalities on the show floor — 136 country delegations — signals continuing global appetite for Chinese-origin seafood, even as domestic processors push deeper into value-added product categories such as ready-to-cook fillets, surimi-based items and certified sustainable lines aimed at European and North American buyers.

The event’s exhibitor manual, made available through the official website, also points to expanding ancillary categories: processing equipment manufacturers, ice-making systems suppliers and traceability technology providers all occupying dedicated pavilions. Industry observers say the growing presence of such exhibitors reflects Beijing’s policy emphasis on modernising cold-chain infrastructure and tightening food-safety documentation across the export supply chain.

For international buyers scouting the Chinese market, the expo has evolved into a one-stop sourcing platform. Domestic processors from Shandong, Fujian, Liaoning and Guangdong provinces typically dominate the floor, while clusters of aquaculture cooperatives from inland provinces have carved out growing footprints in the ready-to-eat and pre-packaged segments.

The release of the 2025 exhibitor roster keeps the event firmly on the global seafood trade calendar, with industry eyes already turning to next year’s edition as companies finalise sales agreements struck on the Qingdao show floor.

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