Article | "lookout" newsweek reporter in hin QuLingYan Wei Donghua

◇ "Yiwu made" to the world, because there is the world's largest small commodity wholesale market, more from "made in China" constantly improving quality and brand

◇ Cloud Caiqiao, overseas sub-market, overseas warehouse, exhibition and a number of new models, new forms of business have emerged, under the global trade downturn, Yiwu big strides to go out, exports against the trend of significant growth

◇ People from different countries choose to stay in Yiwu because of its diverse, inclusive, open and harmonious cultural environment

The main gate of the first Zone of Yiwu International Trade City (photo taken on Nov 17, 2022). Photo by Huang Zongzhi/TIME

The "road market" 40 years ago has now become the world's largest small commodity market. "Buy the world, sell the world" : 2.1 million kinds of commodities from all over the world gather here, and are sold to more than 230 countries and regions around the world. Relevant data has become the weather vane to predict the global economic trend. Tens of thousands of foreign businessmen from more than 100 countries and regions, with different cultures and customs, live and work in harmony here...

This is Yiwu of Zhejiang, Yiwu of China, and Yiwu of the world.

Over the past 40 years, Yiwu has continued to strive and created the experience of "creating something out of nothing and turning everything into gold", realizing its leapfrog development. In accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, it provides a high-quality development sample of Yiwu.

Customers shop at the jewelry business area of Yiwu International Trade City, Yiwu, China, Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Huang Zongzhi/China Time

"Made in China" upgrade window

Adhering to the principle of "building business and market" and "linking trade and industry", today's Yiwu market has become an important gateway for small commodity manufacturing to the world. It has driven more than 20 industrial clusters and 2.1 million small, medium and micro enterprises across the country. Its commodities have been exported to 233 countries and regions, continuously exporting the quality, brand and standard of Chinese small commodities to the world.

"It's not too cold this winter." Walking in the third zone of Yiwu International Trade City, we can fully feel the temperature brought by Qatar World Cup to the export of sports goods merchants.

Some people say that "Made in Yiwu" "kicked" into the World Cup. Last 32 flags, cheering horns and whistles, footballs, jerseys, World Cup ornaments and throw pillows... The Yiwu Sports Goods Association estimates that "made in Yiwu" accounts for almost 70 percent of the World Cup merchandise market.

"Made in Yiwu" goes global, because here is the world's largest small commodity wholesale market, but also from the "Made in China" constantly improving quality and brand.

To this, Wu Xiaoming, founder of Yiwu Aokai Sports Goods Co., LTD., has deep feelings. As one of the officially authorized souvenir football manufacturers for the Qatar World Cup, Wu Xiaoming saw a 70 percent year-on-year increase in orders, making 100,000 balls in his busiest 50 days.

A seemingly ordinary soccer ball has to go through 10 procedures, including cutting, cutting, printing, matching and dyeing, filling balls and sewing. In Wu Xiaoming's automated production line of football factory printing, a whole ball can be finished in three seconds, with high efficiency and accuracy. Wu Xiaoming has never played football, but he is known as "the emperor who knows the ball". When he holds a football in his hand, he can know whether the pattern is matched and the corner is neat by just looking at it.

"We make our own brands, we make our own models, and our profits are higher." Wu Xiaoming, who started his brand business, chose to create his own brand in 2000. "It's like raising a child by yourself," he said. "I feel a sense of accomplishment watching him grow day by day."

Now in Yiwu, businesses like Wu Xiaoming's own brand are everywhere. From selling commodities to producing and selling by itself, from imitation to innovation, from OEM production to private brand, the changes in Yiwu market form show the vitality of the city, but also reflect the pace of transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry.

Innovation is the primary driving force. In the past decade, the value added of China's manufacturing industry has increased from 16.98 trillion yuan to nearly 31.4 trillion yuan, and its share in the global market has risen from 22.5 percent to nearly 30 percent, maintaining its position as the world's largest manufacturer. Yiwu, the barometer of China's foreign trade, has become a window into the vitality of China's manufacturing sector.

There is also big technology behind small products. In Yiwu Corette Digital Brand Service Center, gather all kinds of stationery leading enterprises in Yiwu. "In the past, it was a competition to see who could offer the lowest price. Now it's a competition to see who can better meet the needs of users." Huang Ping, vice president of Yiwu Cultural Products Industry Association, said that behind the change of stationery pens is the progress and innovation of craft technology.

From the initial export of small commodities, now the export of solar photovoltaic panels, cars and spare parts, intelligent equipment, etc., the goods carried by the "Yixin Europe" train from Yiwu also witness the iterative upgrade of "Made in China".

"Out of thin air", the word used to describe the development of Yiwu, is now also a portrayal of the development of Yiwu photovoltaic industry. Adhering to the project is king, recruiting large and attracting strong, Yiwu has built two modern manufacturing clusters of 100 billion level, information optoelectronics and automobile manufacturing, starting from zero. In 2020, the total industrial output value above designated size in Yiwu exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time. In the first half of this year, the core industry of Yiwu's digital economy, manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection manufacturing, strategic emerging industries increased by more than 90%, 80% and 70%, respectively.

At the intersection of Yiwu Mall Avenue and Futian Road, a new digital market appears. This market, aiming at the demand of the new energy market and based on its own advantages, will become the first professional market for the exhibition and trading of new energy products in China.

New market, new industry, new future. In the next five years, fashion, information, equipment, health... More emerging industries will become the new growth point of Yiwu economy and will continue to witness the sonorous pace of China's economic transformation and upgrading.

The important node of domestic and international double cycle

Conforming to the development trend, adhering to the reform and opening up, Yiwu market has become an important node into the double cycle. Over the past decade, Yiwu's exports have grown 5.4 times and its imports nearly 10 times. It has direct domestic logistics to more than 1,500 counties and cities, and international connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative. 275 international special lines are spread all over the world. Sheng Qiuping, vice minister of commerce, called the Yiwu experience a typical case of "connecting domestic and foreign trade to build a double cycle."

"When foreign buyers can't come, we bring the market to their doorstep." On June 30 this year, the first overseas sub-market of Yiwu, the "world supermarket", was established in Dubai.

Covering an area of 200,000 square meters with a total investment of about 1.06 billion yuan, this small commodity market will "move" one million kinds of commodities from Yiwu to Dubai, allowing overseas buyers to see samples, select products and place orders at their doorstep.

Set foot in Dubai, set foot in the world. Yiwu firmly "go out", cloud Caiqiao, overseas sub-market, overseas warehouse, agent exhibition and a number of new models, new forms of business have emerged. Under the downturn of global trade, Yiwu's export is still bucking the trend of significant growth. In the first 10 months of this year, the total value of Yiwu's imports and exports reached 397.87 billion yuan, up 27.8 percent year-on-year.

It's better to be proactive than to wait. Such aggressiveness and tenacity are the genes engraved in Yiwu's bones during its growth, and are also the passwords for China to create development miracles.

From the comprehensive reform of international trade pilot blossom in Yiwu, to Yiwu's pioneering "market purchase" trade mode replicated and promoted in the whole country; From the establishment of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, to the establishment of Yiwu International Trade Comprehensive Reform Pilot Zone...... A series of reform and opening up measures make Yiwu grow from a regional market to a global market.

In the past ten years, the export value of Yiwu jumped from 56.91 billion yuan to 365.91 billion yuan, an increase of 5.4 times, contributing one eighth of the province and one fifth of the country's export value with one tenth of the country's land area.

As early as 2013, when the outside world believed that e-commerce would lead to the extinction of "world supermarket", Yiwu made a choice with the courage and action of "e-commerce for market". In 2020, Yiwu seized the digital opportunity again and launched Chinagoods in October that year. So far, the transaction volume has exceeded 10 million yuan.

In the showroom of Liu Junming, general manager of Yiwu Yinuo Sanitary Co., a handful of workers are busy tapping away at their computers, communicating online with customers across the ocean. "There are also people in the studio preparing for the next day's overseas broadcast." 'he said.

Liu Junming admitted that the pandemic has made it more difficult to meet customers, but there are business opportunities amid the crisis. Relying on years of online operation experience, Liu Junming tried his best to enter the official online trading platform of Yiwu market -- Chinagoods, and made use of the private traffic on the platform to gain customers accurately. "In the first half of this year, 80 percent of our new customers were online, and through online communication, we also developed new products based on customer needs."

Follow the trend and open a new chapter. In the initiative to seize the development of this step, Yiwu is trying to move faster a body position.

Jane Zhang, head of the umbrella business at Xingbao, has been making high-end umbrellas for more than a decade, with customers in more than 100 countries and regions on five continents. Now she is speeding up her approach to domestic consumers. "Umbrellas are not only our shelter, but also our fashion accessory." Zhang said that if we seize the opportunity of upgrading the domestic consumer market, we can open up a new world.

Today's Yiwu is linked to 287 secondary markets and has direct logistics to more than 1500 counties and cities. The Belt and Road Initiative has been connected to the outside world, and 156 overseas warehouses and 275 "Global Yida" international special lines have been built into a global trade service network.

Not only based on the large domestic market, but also through import and export to connect the two markets, two kinds of resources. Sheng Qiuping, vice minister of commerce, called the Yiwu experience a typical case of "connecting domestic and foreign trade to build a double cycle."

In the opinion of Zhou Huaishan, the executive director of Yiwu Business Think Tank, in the face of the complex and changeable external environment, Yiwu has shown a high degree of market sensitivity. From masks, protective clothing, to heating objects, to the peripheral products of the World Cup, the production and sales of hot spots one by one, which shows the huge advantages of Yiwu market in promoting the domestic and international double cycle.

A win-win platform for China and the world

In the new era, the development of Yiwu has entered the "fast lane". Since the beginning of this year, the "Yixin Europe" bank has exceeded 2,000, making important contribution to the stability of the international supply chain. In Yiwu, there are more than 8,000 foreign institutions of various kinds, and 15,000 resident foreign businessmen. The respectful, inclusive, open and diversified environment is the attraction of Yiwu and the charm of China to attract foreign businessmen from all over the world.

Recently, a Yixineu-China freight train loaded with 100 teus of goods "made in Zhejiang" set off for Madrid, Spain, sounding its horn at Yiwu Railway port. This is the 2,000th train of the "Yixineu-Europe" freight train this year, which also marks the completion of the annual target ahead of schedule.

According to Chen Jinghua, general manager of Yiwu Luport Group Railway Port Development Co., LTD., since its launch in 2014, the business scope of "Yiwu New Europe" China-Europe Express has extended to more than 50 countries and more than 160 cities abroad, not only benefiting countries and regions along the route, but also building a "golden bridge" to enhance exchanges between the East and the West.

During the pandemic, the "steel camel caravan" swam upstream, becoming the "passage of life" and the "bond of destiny" for countries to join hands in fighting the pandemic. The continuous operation of the "Yixinjiang-Europe" China-Europe Freight train has not only provided a smooth international logistics and transportation channel for "the world capital of small commodities", but also made China's contribution to maintaining the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain.

In the "Yixin Europe" along the Belt and Road, Mercedes-Benz has sent a steady stream of Chinese small goods to the countries along the Belt and Road, and also returned home with boxes full of "foreign goods". Zhou Xufeng, who was born in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, is engaged in the import business of Spanish red wine and olive oil. Taking advantage of the "east force" of Yixin European-Europe freight train, his transnational business prospers. In recent years, the types of imported red wine have increased by seven or eight times.

To build professional import markets such as China Import Commodity City, Incubation area of Yiwu China Import Commodity City, and imported non-staple food market... Adhere to export and import dual - wheel drive, Yiwu market to accelerate the transformation and upgrading. In the past 10 years, the import volume of Yiwu jumped from 2.28 billion yuan to 24.39 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 10 times, and continuously doubled since 2020. The idea of "buying the world" is becoming a reality within reach.

"Respect, tolerance, openness." Mohammed Nader, a Jordanian who runs a restaurant in Yiwu, uses these three words to sum up his understanding of Yiwu.

In Yiwu, Jimingshan community in Jiangdong Subdistrict is known as "United Nations Community". Nearly half of the permanent residents here are foreigners from 58 countries and regions. Different cultural customs and exotic elements interweave, becoming the window of internationalization of this small town in central Zhejiang.

People from different countries choose to stay in Yiwu not only to find a way to do business, but also because of the diverse, inclusive, open and harmonious cultural environment here.

In Yiwu, it takes only three days to register a foreign trade company and one minute to clear customs for an export. Yiwu, which has grown up "eating the rice of reform", is making more reform dividends produce spillover effects in health care, children's education, legal services and other aspects.

In Zhejiang's high-quality development to promote the "two first" road, Yiwu is also moving towards a more dynamic, more open, more inclusive direction. Small goods, big world. Yiwu provides a case of win-win cooperation with the world, and continues to tell the story of China in the new era to the world. The future Yiwu is very exciting.