Yiwu, the eastern Chinese city known as "the world's supermarket," saw its foreign trade value reach a record high of 836.5 billion yuan (119.37 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, Yiwu Customs announced on Saturday.
Imports alone grew remarkably last year, rising 32.3 percent year on year to 105.8 billion yuan and crossing the 100-billion-yuan threshold for the first time.
Located in Zhejiang Province, Yiwu has long been a dynamic hub in China's opening-up endeavors. The Yiwu International Trade Market houses nearly 80,000 booths offering over 2.1 million types of commodities, and maintains trade ties with 233 countries and regions worldwide.
The launches of both the Yiwu (Suxi) international port and the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center in 2025 have further expanded the city's logistics and digital trade ecosystem, enabling small commodities to reach global markets faster than ever.
China's Yiwu witnesses record-high foreign trade in 2025
China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday that one of the top priorities at present is to contain the spread of the conflict and prevent further involvement of other countries.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, at the latter's request.
Wang elaborated on China's position, saying that the current situation in the Middle East is still deteriorating, with the conflict continuing to spread. This has not only undermined the stability of global energy supply but also led to a severe humanitarian crisis.
Resorting to force will not solve the problem, and an unjust war should not be allowed to continue, he said.
In the face of the critical situation, China and France, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should strengthen strategic communication and coordination, firmly uphold the UN Charter and international law, and prevent the world from regressing to the "law of the jungle," Wang said.
He added that the other two top priorities are for the international community to speak with one voice in calling for an immediate ceasefire and to intensify efforts to advance peace talks, and for the United Nations and the UN Security Council to play their due role in facilitating the early restoration of peace and stability in the region.
Despite the difficulties, dialogue and negotiation remain the right path out of the crisis, Wang said, adding that China and France should work together toward this end.
For his part, Bonne shared his perspectives on the current situation in the Middle East, including developments in Iran and Lebanon.
He said that France and China, as major countries, both support the United Nations, abide by international law, and advocate resolving differences through dialogue.
He said that the two countries should work together to explore solutions and contribute to easing tensions and resuming negotiations.
France is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China to push for the early achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East, he added.
China's top diplomat urges efforts to prevent escalation in Mideast conflict
