The 2015 China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair will be held from June 4 to 7 at the Yiwu International Expo Center. Themed “Promoting Connectivity and Sharing China Opportunities,” this edition of the import fair aims to lea
d the trend in import trade and is committed to becoming China’s premier exhibition for imported daily consumer goods.
The Import Commodities Fair Emerges at the Right Time
The Yiwu market covers an operating area of over 5.5 million square meters, with more than 75,000 business stalls offering over 2.1 million types of goods across 26 major categories. Nearly 500,000 overseas merchants visit Yiwu for procurement each year, and around 14,000 expatriate merchants from more than 100 countries and regions reside in Yiwu permanently. Goods are exported to 219 countries and regions, with the market's outward orientation exceeding 60%. It has been recognized by authoritative institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank as the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities.
The seventh episode of the popular CCTV documentary series “Silk Road: The Journey That Begins Anew,” titled “Parting Ways East and West,” describes Yiwu as follows: Historically, the starting point of the Silk Road was Xi’an; today, Yiwu is home to the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities, and the Silk Road that connects East and West is rising again — Yiwu has truly become the new starting point of the modern Silk Road.
At present, Yiwu is in a transitional phase from being export-oriented to balancing both exports and imports. In recent years, the city has placed great emphasis on import trade, establishing various import-focused venues such as the Import Commodities Hall in Zone 5 of the International Trade City, the Import Hall at the Yiwu Non-Staple Food Market, and the Korean Import Fashion City at Huangyuan Clothing Market. In 2014, the sales of imported goods exceeded 6 billion yuan. This year, the municipal government has introduced a series of supportive policies to actively cultivate the import market and build the Yiwu import trade brand. Thus, the 2015 China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair has emerged.
Fair Scale Among the Top Nationwide
The 2015 China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair is the only exposition in Yiwu focused entirely on imported consumer goods. Closely aligned with the national “Belt and Road” strategy, the fair centers on economic and trade cooperation, highlighting second- and third-tier brand products from overseas small and medium-sized enterprises, striving to develop into China’s top brand for imported daily consumer goods exhibitions within a short period.
Since 2012, Yiwu has successfully hosted three editions of the Import Commodities Fair, achieving remarkable results. This year, the former Import Commodities Fair has been upgraded to the Import Commodities Expo, with both the specifications and scale elevated. Efforts have also been increased in publicity, promotion, exhibitor recruitment, and trade attraction. Based on current exhibition applications, nearly 1,500 companies are expected to participate, with the number of booths ranking among the top nationwide for imported daily consumer goods exhibitions.