China Licensing Expo 2025 Sets New Attendance and International Participation Records

The 18th China Licensing Expo (CLE) was successfully held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from October 15 to 17, reaffirming its position as the largest licensing event in Asia. The expo welcomed 99,030 professional visitors, showing a 14.9% year-on-year growth. Notably, the number of international attendees reached 5,653, an impressive 186.1% increase compared to last year.
This year’s edition gathered 566 exhibitors and showcased over 2,600 global IPs across 65,000 square meters of exhibition space. A new record was set with the participation of nine international pavilions, highlighting the event’s growing global influence.
The expo featured well-known IPs including Mickey and Friends, Transformers, Barbie, Peanuts, Pokémon, Gundam, Doraemon and SpongeBob SquarePants, along with leading Chinese IPs such as Palace Museum, POP MART, Boonie Bears, The King’s Avatar and The Legend of Sword and Fairy.
Seven themed zones created immersive and focused business environments, supporting efficient negotiations between licensors, licensees, manufacturers and retailers from around the world.
Industry representatives highlighted China as a strategically significant market, generating global consumer trends and offering strong collaboration opportunities.
The next China Licensing Expo will take place on October 21–23, 2026, in Shanghai.