Overseas buyers look at a robot on display at the ongoing China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

Valentine Raphael, a buyer from the United Kingdom, visited the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with the aim of purchasing industrial equipment, focusing specifically on general machinery and basic mechanical components.

With the help of an artificial intelligence sourcing tool, which precisely analyzed his needs in key areas such as equipment performance, delivery time, certification and after-sales service, Raphael quickly finalized a procurement list for computer numerical control machine tools and power machinery.

After negotiations facilitated by the AI sourcing partner, SourcingAI 3.0, Raphael reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with the relevant Chinese suppliers.

The global procurement AI platform was launched during the fair by Made-in-China.com, a comprehensive service platform for foreign trade, helping assist buyer decisions during the entire process of product selection, matching, negotiation, transaction and fulfillment.

"The sourcing AI partner provides both buyers and sellers with a more efficient and reliable trade matching experience," said Lu Yi, vice-president of Focus Technology Co, the developer of the foreign trade service platform. As Chinese industries accelerate their expansion overseas, AI is transforming the entry points for buyers, information production and trade decision-making processes, according to Lu.

The latest version of SourcingAI has been continuously optimized around four real procurement scenarios — what to buy, whom to buy from, how to negotiate and whether it's trustworthy, according to Lu.

"It assists buyers not only in obtaining information, analyzing opportunities and making judgments, but also extends into deeper procurement decisions, real transactions and fulfillment assurance," said Lu.

Powered by advanced technologies like AI, Chinese companies doing business with overseas firms have launched AI tools that assist buyers and sellers in boosting their business efficiency, including sourcing of suppliers, business negotiating and finalizing transactions.

Ant International, the overseas arm of Chinese mainland financial technology giant Ant Group, also launched a new generation of global account AI agent during the fair — Wyn — targeting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Available on the WorldFirst app and its website, Wyn enables SMEs to complete global account workflows, such as account opening, payments, foreign exchange and intelligent fund management, using simple natural language instructions.

It introduces agent-to-agent, or A2A intelligence collaboration capabilities, initially supporting the integration of WorldFirst ecosystem partner agents, making cross-border trade operations safer and more efficient.

"As AI is transforming the global e-commerce and trade industry, the use of intelligent tools is becoming a key factor in the digital trade and globalization efforts of SMEs," said Shi Wenyi, senior vice-president of Ant International and CEO of WorldFirst.

Following the autumn session of the fair, dubbed the largest foreign trade event across China, the demand for payment and fund management among domestic businesses will only become stronger, according to Shi.

"Wyn allows SMEs to operate their global accounts more intelligently and conveniently, while also providing more reliable global business expansion and risk control support," said Shi.

The first of three phases of the 140th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, concluded on Monday, with over 32,000 Chinese companies displaying their latest products and services.