Philippines leads record delegation as Country of Honor at CAEXPO 2026
Philippines is CAEXPO 2026's Country of Honor, sending a record 313-member trade delegation led by CITEM and DTI, with Cebu as Province of Charm.
NEWS
9/15/20262 min read
The Philippines returns as Country of Honor at the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) this week, fielding the largest trade delegation in the event's history under the banner "The Philippines is Programmed for Business and Growth." The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, is leading the delegation at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangxi, China, from Sept. 17 to 21.
It's the Philippines' second turn as Country of Honor since 2013, and this year's showing dwarfs that debut: 313 delegates, including 73 export enterprises exhibiting in the Commodity Pavilion, plus a National Pavilion built around Cebu province as CAEXPO's official Province of Charm. The whole presence runs under the government's PARTNERPhilippines banner.
"CITEM did not build this milestone alone; it was forged by the ambition and product innovation of our 73-strong exhibitors, backed by a whole-of-government ecosystem," CITEM said in a statement. "Every deal closed and every partnership forged on this floor directly feeds into the country's overall economic growth, elevating the Philippine export nation on the global stage."
Two pavilions, two jobs
Programmed for business and growth, the Philippines positions itself as a capable investment hub for technological agility, resilient supply chain, and green economy
The National Pavilion is where policy meets pitch — the space for showcasing institutional capability, regional development plans, and investment openings. Cebu carries that pavilion this year, arriving with seven straight years of 7.3% annual economic growth and logistics infrastructure anchored by Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the province's deepwater ports. CITEM is positioning the province as a landing spot for manufacturing investment and creative industries alike.
The Commodity Pavilion is where the actual selling happens. Its 73 exhibitors represent five CITEM export programs — FOODPhilippines, FASHIONPhilippines, DESIGNPhilippines, CREATEPhilippines, and PARTNERPhilippines — spanning agrifood, home and fashion goods, personal care, tourism, banking, and pharmaceuticals. Together, the two pavilions are meant to sell foreign buyers on the Philippines as both a sourcing hub and a travel destination, built on its agriculture, coastline, and cultural draw.
The PARTNERPhilippines delegation features high-yield investment and trade opportunities across Philippine sectors, such as home, fashion, and lifestyle (HFL), tropical agrifood, financial services, and world-class tourism, among others.
The trade math behind the trip
The timing tracks with two regional trade deals doing a lot of the heavy lifting: the CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Together, they open a 15-nation trade network worth nearly 30% of global GDP to Filipino small and medium enterprises, giving them more direct routes into digital commerce, green technology, and regional supply chains.
CITEM organized this year's delegation with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan, the Philippine Exporters Confederation, the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Liwayway Marketing Corporation, and Metropolitan Bank (China) Ltd.
CITEM's trade calendar doesn't slow down after Nanning. The agency takes a FOODPhilippines delegation to SIAL Paris from Oct. 17 to 21, then returns to China for the China International Import Expo in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10.
More on CITEM's CAEXPO 2026 participation is available at citem.gov.ph; overseas food trade fair schedules are posted at ifexconnect.com.