Yiwu exports hit record high as AI reshapes trade

Yiwu's exports hit a record high in the first five months as the world's largest small commodity hub embraces AI tools from image navigation to real time translation, reshaping how merchants and buyers connect.

Known as "the world's supermarket," Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province hosts the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities.

Official figures showed that Yiwu's exports hit 315.4 billion yuan (around 46.57 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months, rising nine percent year-on-year.

The city crossed the 300-billion-yuan threshold one month earlier than last year, marking a record high for the period.

Behind these impressive numbers lies Yiwu's continuous rollout of innovative business models and new industries, which keep fueling the transformation and upgrading of its traditional trade sector.

At Yiwu's Global Digital Trade Center, digital transformation is everywhere.

AI-powered navigation allows buyers to identify products by image, locate stores with a single click, and map out the most efficient routes in real time. Among the smart tools, AI translators have emerged as a clear favorite, especially for cross-border merchants.

"Before the market is open, we already contact the owner and [there] have been purchases of already more than 100 pieces of AI translator that has been sold out at this time. I come back and see the new products and new AI translator, it's a very good and very convenient and this time probably I also make more orders, more and more orders. It's very good," said an Indian buyer.

Beyond translation, AI-driven innovation is helping more local businesses tap into new overseas markets.

At one smart wearable store, the owner demonstrated a sleek smart ring that pairs with phones to track health data and support multiple functions.

"Our business is fully focused on foreign trade export. This smart ring you see here sold over 10,000 units last month alone, which is a nearly 60 percent year-on-year increase," said Zhu Yuelan, merchant at the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center.

Yiwu exports hit record high as AI reshapes trade

On Monday, the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, the Republic of Korea, approved the boundary modification of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, officially incorporating the Changshan Archipelago into the World Heritage list.

This marks another expansion of the World Natural Heritage site following its previous expansion in 2024, further improving the integrity of the migratory bird sanctuaries series, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The Changshan Archipelago in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, sits on the only sea route of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, and it serves as a critical energy supply stop for tens of millions of migratory birds during their cross-Bohai Sea migration.

The newly added heritage section covers more than 4,900 hectares. The region is rich in biological resources, with over 140 recorded bird species.

At the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2019, the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) was inscribed on the list. At the 46th session in New Delhi, India, in 2024, UNESCO inscribed Phase II of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, expanding the existing site to include five additional protected areas.

China's Changshan Archipelago migratory bird sanctuary inscribed on World Natural Heritage list