On June 17, a rights protection incident broke out at the Shenzhen International Trade Fair for Imports and Exports, with the organizers suspected of fraud by hiring people to pose as buyers. Hundreds of exhibitors demanded refunds, leading to a confrontation with a large number of armed personnel. Some interviewees claimed that the entire exhibition was a scam.
Online videos showed that the 2026 Shenzhen International Trade Fair for Imports and Exports held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center had few actual buyers present, while hundreds of exhibitors collectively protested against the false advertising by the organizers and demanded the refund of tens of thousands of yuan in participation fees.
Due to the lack of effectiveness of the exhibition, a large number of exhibitors surrounded the responsible person from the organizer and demanded the return of expensive booth fees. Authorities dispatched a large number of armed personnel to maintain order at the scene, holding steel forks and shields, forming a human wall facing the protesting exhibitors.
The mainland website “World Expo Net” reported that the 2026 Shenzhen International Trade Fair for Imports and Exports had a “grand opening” on June 16 at the Shenzhen Futian Convention and Exhibition Center, with the headline stating “Explosive start on the first day”.
This edition of the trade fair was jointly held with the 12th Shenzhen International Cross-border E-commerce Trade Expo and the 9th Global Cross-border E-commerce Festival (616 Cross-border E-commerce Festival), with a duration of 3 days (June 16 to 18). It was organized by the Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Association, co-organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and contracted by Boshang Exhibition Services (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
As of June 19, the exhibition has concluded.
A exhibitor from Shandong, Mr. Yang, told a reporter from Dajiyuan, “The whole exhibition was a sham, not a single person. 500 yuan for each foreigner, the most unreliable time. Loaded a car with foreigners to give out money, then when someone saw it and reported, they caught someone red-handed. The exhibition was filled with logistics companies and takeaway services, freight agents, nothing else, or just competitors.”
Videos provided by exhibitors show crowds demanding “refund!”
Some exhibitors also claimed that there were hardly any real customers present at the exhibition, alleging that the organizers spent money to hire a large number of “foreigners” to act as fake buyers, creating a false sense of prosperity. People were seen checking names and phone numbers against a list at the subway station, lining up to receive their wages as “actors.”
According to a video released by the self-media “Yesterday,” on June 18, at the Shenzhen International Trade Fair for Imports and Exports, as their demands for refunds from the previous day went unanswered, some angry exhibitors destroyed their own exhibits and other facilities before leaving. It was reported that after spending around 20,000 yuan on booth fees and other costs such as transportation and accommodation, exhibitors had almost no effective orders, leading to severe losses.
The final outcome of the exhibitors’ rights protection activities has yet to be confirmed.