Market hub buzzes despite downturn

Chen Zhenzhen, foreign trade manager at Zhejiang Meizhiyuan Cosmetics Co, said that after the pandemic emerged, overseas orders dropped sharply due to drastically reduced social activities worldwide.

However, in early February, the company switched to producing disinfectants to help meet market demand during the outbreak.

"Our company's disinfectant exports, which made up for the loss of perfume business, rose slightly in the second quarter of this year," Chen said.

Platform launched

In the first six months of this year, China Commodities City Group had accelerated online and offline integration to reduce the impact of the pandemic.

In February, the company launched Chinagoods, an online platform, for which more than 50,000 business entities have registered.

The platform handles business license applications, product presentations, livestreaming sessions and payments. It also generally helps micro-, small-and medium-sized exporting businesses improve links with overseas and domestic buyers.

Zhang Dan, manager of a crafts shop at the market, said that during the pandemic most traders opted to handle orders through online platforms such as Yiwu Gou and Chinagoods.

"As the outbreak eases further in the country, we now face the challenge of ensuring we have good production and timely logistics support for the large number of orders that have accrued," Zhang said.

Yu Lifang, manager of a lantern shop, said, "I am so grateful, as the market granted traders a two-month rent exemption during the pandemic."

She added that she will shift her sales focus to the domestic market, as exports have fallen significantly this year.

A Yemeni merchant operating at the market, who wanted to be named only as Abdulraheem, said: "The global trade situation is worse than last year. Many markets in my country have closed."

He added that he was impressed by the economic recovery in China, as evidenced by the revitalization of trade at the Yiwu market.

During the pandemic, an increasing number of companies in Yiwu, operating in areas such as cosmetics and textiles, have turned to new growth points for their development.

Exports of products related to the stay-at-home economy, including baking utensils and fitness equipment, have risen rapidly.

Since business resumed at the Yiwu market, 20 teams from the city have been sent to 27 provinces and regions in China to attract buyers. The teams have also contacted more than 10,000 overseas buyers through foreign trade enterprises, associations and other channels.

Meanwhile, 350 China-Europe freight trains also departed from Yiwu in the first half of this year, with the cargo volume rising by more than 157 percent year-onyear, ensuring Asia-Europe supply chain stability.

Cai Jingwen and Xinhua contributed to the story