Bringing Together 1,500 Exhibitors, Yiwu Becomes Key Gateway for SMEs Along "Belt and Road" Routes Seeking to Expand into Chinese Market

YIWU, China, June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A feast of overseas consumer goods, the 2015 China Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair was held in Yiwu International Expo Center from June 4 to 7.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150609/221744

1,500 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from nearly 100 countries and regions including South Korea, Japan, the U.S., Australia, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Iran attended the fair. The 50,000 square-meter event housed 2,000 standard-sized booths. Ninety percent of exhibitors came from from outside of China, while over 80 percent originated from countries along the "Belt and Road" routes, according to statistics compiled concerning the origination of fair participants. The organizer of this year's fair set up special exhibition areas according to the origin of the exhibitor, including the Japanese and South Korean Commodity Pavilion, the Southeast Asian Commodity Pavilion and the New Silk Road National Pavilion, specifically to display the commodities originating from the countries bordering the "Belt and Road" routes.

Consumer goods are the highlight of this fair. The fair organizer positioned this year's fair to chiefly target second and third-tier consumer goods manufactured outside of China, building a platform to align the Chinese market with products provided by overseas SMEs. Goods and services on display fell mainly into one of five categories: imported home supplies, imported foods and beverages, imported handicrafts and accessories, imported apparel and accessories as well as cross-border e-commerce and international trade services. More than 100,000 kinds of products from around the world were on display, including such diverse items as wool products from Australia and New Zealand, Baltic amber ornaments from Poland, kitchen supplies from Germany, leather products and bags from Italy, mom and baby products from Holland, red wines and olive oils from Spain, providing a bonanza of opportunities for interested Chinese buyers. The commodities at this year's event fit the needs of today's Chinese consumers, especially members of China's burgeoning middle class.

This fair was attended by 100,000 purchasing agents and managers from across China. Chinese President Xi Jinping said at this year's Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference that Chinese imports are on track to exceed $ US 10 trillion over the next five years. The whole world is finding huge business opportunities in China.