Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center Drives Unprecedented International Business Activity

The Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center has maintained exceptional market momentum since its October 2025 opening, drawing merchants from around the world and reshaping international business ecosystems through its dual-engine model of digital trade integration. On opening day alone, the center welcomed more than 130,000 visitors, with subsequent days averaging 71,000 global buyers daily, creating ripple effects throughout the local economy that demonstrate the facility's immediate commercial impact.

This surge of international activity has transformed nearby businesses, with hotels experiencing full occupancy for weeks and restaurants reporting doubled table turnover rates. The technological infrastructure supporting this growth includes the World Yiwu Trade Large Model, which registered over 30,000 users by October 2025 with AI product usage surpassing one billion calls. Thirteen AI applications now support end-to-end digitalization across design, translation, and fulfillment functions, enabling truly borderless global trade through intelligent digitalization.

The consecutive hosting of major trade fairs created powerful exhibition synergy, with the 138th Canton Fair attracting nearly 240,000 overseas buyers from 223 countries and regions. Particularly significant was that 65% were visiting Yiwu for the first time, shifting from sample viewing at the Canton Fair to actual order placement in Yiwu. Transactions showed exceptional strength in jewelry and accessories, fashion collectibles, drones, and cosmetics sectors, reflecting evolving global market demands.

Record-breaking orders emerged across multiple categories, with mechanical and electrical products reaching RMB 203 billion in exports during the first three quarters of 2025, representing 25.2% year-on-year growth. The smart devices sector showed particularly strong performance, exemplified by entrepreneurs securing substantial orders including one receiving an on-site order for 3,000 drones from a Jordanian client. Several jewelry and cosmetics merchants secured overseas orders exceeding RMB 500,000 within their first week of operation.

While offline negotiations remain vibrant, digital tools including cross-border livestreaming and digital avatar shopping assistants are accelerating the transformation from Made in China to Branded in China. The center's comprehensive upgrade extends beyond physical space to encompass trade philosophy and operational models, integrating platforms for AI design, smart logistics, cross-border livestreaming, and data transactions through its Digital Trade Port framework.

This evolution aligns with broader structural optimization in Yiwu's foreign trade, where exports under the market procurement trade model reached RMB 458.38 billion from January to September 2025, accounting for 82.7% of the city's total exports. The Global Digital Trade Center represents Yiwu's strategic transformation from the World's Supermarket to the Global Source of Digital Trade Innovation, providing the Yiwu Sample for China's high-quality trade development through precise, efficient, and competitive digital empowerment.