Repeated COVID-19 outbreaks, inconvenience for overseas buyers to come to China, and rising costs such as freight rates and raw materials have posed severe challenges to international trade. Known as the "supermarket of the world", Yiwu has overcome the negative impact of the epidemic and taken multiple measures to strengthen the international trade chain. From January to March this year, the total value of import and export reached 106.29 billion yuan, up 63.9% year on year.

"Eyes" connect the four seas: catch new life

Inside a crystal shop in Yiwu International Trade City, salesman Xiaoding is conducting remote video connection in front of the shelf, the other end of the mobile phone is connected to Palestine. Affected by the epidemic, it is inconvenient for overseas merchants to come to China, so remote live broadcasting has become their "eyes" for procurement. "The customer is worried about the large size of the lampstand, will the freight be expensive?" Salesman Xiaoding asked. "No problem, the main body and lamp holder can be removed, the packaging does not take up space." Shop head Liu Rongbin immediately reply.

"There are always more ways than difficulties. Customers can't go to the store, so we move our work online." Liu Rongbin switches freely between computer and mobile phone to communicate with customers from all countries.

China will enhance its status as an import transit hub and build a RCEP import cargo distribution center. Seize southeast Asia cross-border e-commerce blue ocean market, build cross-border e-commerce mode innovation center...... This year, the world's largest free trade agreement RCEP formally took effect, Yiwu people keenly feel the new opportunities.

"Tariffs on many products exported to Japan will be reduced year by year, and we are seizing the opportunity to grow bigger and stronger." The general manager of Zhejiang Haiyuan International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. introduced to Wang Gao that they applied for 92 RCEP certificates to the customs in the first quarter of this year, and obtained nearly 200,000 RMB of import tariff concessions from Japan.

Statistics show that in the first quarter, Yiwu Customs issued 48,885 certificates of origin enjoying preferential free trade agreement, with a value of 1.006 billion US dollars, up 14.43% and 33.49% respectively year-on-year, which can reduce or exempt import tariffs of 319 million RMB for related export goods.

Trade digitization: "Take you to China"

Under the driving force of digital transformation and the epidemic situation, Yiwu market vigorously develops Internet e-commerce, social e-commerce and livestream e-commerce, strengthens the online and offline capabilities of digital connectivity, and speeds up the development of new trade formats and models.

As a digital trade comprehensive service platform, "Yiwu Commodity City Chinagoods" since its launch two years ago, has entered more than 60,000 physical shops, integrated 2 million upstream and downstream small, medium and micro enterprises, more than 5 million kinds of goods. In the first quarter of this year, the transaction volume achieved a year-on-year growth of 90%, and the total transaction volume exceeded 21 billion yuan.

The digitalization of trade has also opened a new channel for economic and trade cooperation between China and other developing countries. In the Exhibition hall of "Take you to China" in Rwanda, all kinds of goods are displayed neatly. Every day, a large number of buyers are looking for good Chinese goods here. Rwandan businessman Abdo has just negotiated an order worth 100,000 yuan with the merchants. This batch of POTS, small household appliances goods will be sent from Yiwu to Rwanda.

Yiwu Mall Group actively improves the network system of overseas sites and establishes Rwanda digital Trade Hub. "Take you to China" is the offline exhibition hall of this digital hub in Rwanda. Through the way of "showroom sample viewing, remote negotiation, bonded warehouse shipment", we can quickly close cross-border orders and realize delivery of goods.

The linkage of "four Ports" : facilitating the flow of goods

Although the cost of international shipping has risen sharply, with the strong support of railway and customs units, the "Yixin Europe" China-Europe freight train from Yiwu keeps on wheels, maintains normal high-density operation and plays an important role of the channel of China-Europe international logistics. In the first quarter of this year, 370 trains have run, with a year-on-year increase of 10.1%.

In order to fully guarantee the daily operation of the train and the expansion of major overseas projects along the line, Yixinou Trade Service Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement with PicC Zhejiang Branch on March 10 this year, and timely launched a package of insurance services and products according to the needs of customers in the market.

In order to alleviate the supply and demand contradiction of foreign trade enterprises, in February this year, Yiwu Municipal government signed a tripartite strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Cosco Shipping Group Co., LTD and GLP Investment (Shanghai) Co., LTD., relying on the advantages of COSCO Shipping port shipping and GLP storage infrastructure. To realize the strong combination of Yiwu "goods", CoSCO "ship" and PROlogis "Park", effectively promote yiwu logistics upgrade and speed up the construction of modern trade hub.

Yiwu is speeding up the pace of opening up the international logistics artery: moving the port functions and shipping resources of Ningbo Zhoushan port digitally to improve the opening level; Innovate Yiwu-Ningbo-American Express, Yiwu-European truck flight, Yiwu-Laos freight train, and improve logistics timeliness... Today, Yiwu has become the only pilot city in Zhejiang province for the linkage of land port, harbor, air port and information port.