The Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center, which officially opened on October 14, 2025, has maintained exceptionally strong market momentum, drawing merchants from around the world in what represents a significant evolution in global trade patterns. On its opening day alone, the center welcomed more than 130,000 visitors, with daily attendance averaging 71,000 global buyers over the following 11 days, indicating robust international interest in China's digital trade transformation.
The economic impact has extended well beyond the trade center itself, creating a ripple effect throughout the local business community. Wang Lu, front desk manager of a hotel approximately one kilometer from the Global Digital Trade Center, reported that rooms have been fully booked every night for two straight weeks following the opening, with reservations now requiring at least one week advance notice. Many overseas buyers have extended their stays to coordinate with the Canton Fair schedule, demonstrating the center's integration into broader international trade circuits.
Restaurants and service businesses near the trade center have experienced what they describe as a business transformation. Abdul, owner of a Middle Eastern restaurant, noted that his dinner turnover rate has doubled from 1.5 to over 3 times per night, with many buyers conducting business negotiations while dining. Li Na, manager of a coffee shop near Futian Market, observed that foreign buyers consistently carry translation devices and use her establishment as an impromptu negotiation space, highlighting the center's role in facilitating cross-border commerce.
This bustling activity reflects Yiwu's broader foreign trade growth, with total import and export value reaching RMB 631.2 billion from January to September 2025, representing a 26.3% year-on-year increase. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose 28.9%, accounting for 68% of the city's total trade volume. The Global Digital Trade Center serves as a landmark project marking Yiwu's transformation from a traditional small commodities hub into a digital trade powerhouse through its dual-engine model of digital plus trade integration.
The center has sustained market enthusiasm through large-scale events including drone light shows, global music festivals, and the AI + Market Digital Trade Summit. Technological empowerment has shown impressive results, with the World Yiwu Trade Large Model registering over 30,000 users as of October 2025 and AI product usage surpassing one billion calls. Thirteen AI applications now support end-to-end digitalization across design, translation, and fulfillment functions, enabling true borderless, real-time global trade.
The consecutive hosting of the Canton Fair and Yiwu Fair brought additional international procurement activity to the center. The 138th Canton Fair attracted nearly 240,000 overseas buyers from 223 countries and regions, a 6.8% increase over the previous session, with particularly strong growth among buyers from the EU, Middle East, United States, and South America. Notably, 65% were visiting Yiwu for the first time, shifting from sample viewing at the Canton Fair to placing orders in Yiwu, with particularly active transactions in jewelry and accessories, fashion collectibles, drones, and cosmetics sectors.
Among the market's eight key industries, jewelry and accessories, creative trendy toys, drones and smart electronics, and beauty and personal care products emerged as the main drivers of order growth. From January to September 2025, Yiwu's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached RMB 203 billion, up 25.2% year-on-year, with particularly strong performance in smart devices. Entrepreneur Fang Yifan received an on-site order for 3,000 drones from a Jordanian client during a matchmaking event, while several jewelry and cosmetics merchants secured overseas orders exceeding RMB 500,000 within their first week of opening.
The Global Digital Trade Center represents not just physical expansion but a comprehensive upgrade in trade philosophy and operational models. Anchored by the Digital Trade Port, it integrates platforms for AI design, smart logistics, cross-border livestreaming, and data transactions, building a digital trade system driven by end-to-end perception, intelligent decision-making, and ecosystem collaboration. This evolution aligns with the optimization of Yiwu's foreign trade structure, with exports under the market procurement trade model reaching RMB 458.38 billion from January to September 2025, up 29.4% year-on-year and accounting for 82.7% of the city's total exports.
A representative of the Yiwu China Commodities City Group stated that their goal is to transform Yiwu from the World's Supermarket into the Global Source of Digital Trade Innovation. The continued popularity of the Global Digital Trade Center demonstrates its powerful ability to attract and convert global business opportunities, signaling that Yiwu's path to global expansion is becoming more precise, efficient, and competitive through digital empowerment.
