On the first day of 2025, Yiwu City in east China, known as the world's capital of small commodities, was bustling with activity as holidaymakers flocked to the one-stop shopping destination that offers a diverse range of products from around the world.
At the Yiwu China Import Commodities City, merchants showcased their best-selling items. Visitors could find global treasures including Spanish ham, South African and French wines, and more, all in one place.
The ongoing New Year Shopping Festival at the market features nearly 150,000 varieties of products from over 100 countries and regions. The market has also issued vouchers that allow shoppers to enjoy discounts of up to 50 percent on their purchases.
"I'm getting these stuffs at pretty good prices, about a third lower than usual," said Ms. Liu, a local shopper. This was the tenth New Year spent in Yiwu for Syrian businessman Mike, who just made a special trip to the market to begin his year.
"[Here,] you can buy products from any country. On the first day [of 2025], I came here to find food I can share with my family," Mike said. Mike shopped at a pilot store that's part of Yiwu's initiative to boost innovative development in the import sector. The store imports goods in bulk, selling products at prices up to 30 percent less than before.
"By this morning, we had already processed nearly 120 orders. We hope to expand our import channels in the new year and bring more high-quality foreign goods to the Yiwu market, allowing residents to buy even more affordable products," said Xu Zhijian, the manager of the pilot store.
Yiwu market starts 2025 with one-stop shopping experience for global treasures
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.
The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.
The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.
The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.
The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
