China joins the GREEN×EXPO 2027 list, now 75 countries and five organisations

• The Association’s list dated 16 October 2026 has 75 countries and five international organisations. The only change from the 9 September list (74 countries) is the addition of the People’s Republic of China. No country was removed.
• The international organisations are unchanged: ITTO, IFAD, the United Nations University, UN-Habitat and the World Food Programme.
• The Association says the list shows only those participants that are ready to be made public. Its note that overseas participation has reached the target of around 70 is the same as in September.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs page was also updated to the 16 October list and now includes China.
• As of 19 October 2026, no official participation contract between China and the Association has been announced.

Our take

China has been on the other side of this. In 2019 it hosted an A1-class International Horticultural Expo, the same class as Yokohama, in Beijing. According to the Beijing Municipal Government, the 503-hectare site in Yanqing District is still open as Beijing Expo Park. A country that has run one of these expos is now coming to Yokohama as an exhibitor.

For now, though, the announcement only tells us that China intends to take part. Participation moves in three steps: the announcement, the signing of an official participation contract, and the announcement of what will be exhibited. Of the 16 Asian countries on the list, eight have signed, and only Thailand, India and the Philippines have published an exhibit direction. China is at the first step, and nothing has been said about what gardens or plants it will bring.

The expo opens on 19 March 2027, five months away. The list has kept growing since the Association said in September that it had reached its target of around 70, and we think the door for new announcements is still open.

Tips for visitors

• China has been added to our guide to the 16 participating countries in Asia, with its capital, population and official language from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its contract and exhibit columns still read “not announced”.
• Signing dates and exhibit directions for every country are in the table on our participating countries page, where China’s row is marked as added in the 16 October list.
• The full list is in the Association’s 16 October PDF (Japanese) and on the Ministry’s page. It shows only the participants that are ready to be made public.