The Global Digital Trade Center has officially commenced operations in east China's Yiwu, the city known as the global capital of small goods trade.
The center represents a major step in transforming Yiwu from a traditional wholesale hub into a digital-driven global trade powerhouse
This latest upgrade to the marketplaces is effectively redefining how international trade is conducted in Yiwu.
Spanning 410,000 square meters across two market blocks, the new center is connected by modern office towers that complete a "buy downstairs, negotiate upstairs" business model. It brings together wholesale trading, cross-border e-commerce, online platforms, digital payments, and logistics services all under one roof.
Digital technology drives the transformation, with artificial intelligence functioning as the market's central operational system.
Intelligent navigation systems map efficient shopping routes for buyers, while interactive screens provide instant supplier recommendations, sales data and logistics options for product queries. The AI engine can match buyers with the most suitable vendors based on budget and target market, boosting sourcing efficiency more than threefold.
The Yiwu China Small Commodities Market has also launched the Chinagoods platform, offering six digital trading modules to help vendors engage in global trade. The platform features tools including automatic video language conversion and real-time AI translation.
China's small commodity hub launches Global Digital Trade Center
China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.
Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.
The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.
The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.
Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.
He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.
Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.
China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM
