yiwu, the "world supermarket", helps "made in china" reach africa
2024-09-01
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reference news reported on september 1(text/shang yiying li ping) yiwu city, zhejiang province, gathers 2.1 million kinds of goods produced in various parts of china. its rich commodity categories and well-connected logistics system make it a "bridgehead" for china's trade with africa. according to statistics, yiwu's export share to africa accounts for about one-third of zhejiang province and about one-twelfth of the country. at the same time, yiwu has also increased its import and investment layout in africa in recent years. yiwu, the "world supermarket", plays an increasingly important role in the economic and trade interaction between china and africa.
“whatever africa needs, yiwu has it”
"from small items like needles and threads to large items like cars and construction machinery, yiwu has what africa needs." deng chaofeng, general manager of zhejiang guomao supply chain service co., ltd., which has been engaged in international trade with african countries for 21 years, said that african trade has accounted for about 80% of the company's annual trade volume, and is showing an average annual growth rate of 20%.
deng chaofeng said that africa is in a stage of rapid urbanization and industrialization, and there is a great demand for chinese-made engineering machinery, agricultural equipment, and medical equipment. in 2024, the company's trade volume with africa is expected to reach us$400 million.
similar to deng chaofeng, zhu shun, general manager of zhejiang jinmin electric co., ltd., told reporters that africa has a population of more than 1.4 billion, and the population is expected to continue to expand in the next few decades. this huge population size gives the market huge consumption potential and also brings unlimited business opportunities to chinese companies. in recent years, the company's exports of switches, sockets, wires and cables, low-voltage electrical appliances and other products to african countries have increased by 20% annually.
when i met ai bin, the sales manager of yiwu discoverer import & export co., ltd., he was busy preparing two containers to be exported to zambia and ethiopia the next day. the containers mainly contained small welding machines, tile cutters, pliers, etc. "africa is our main market, and now we have containers shipped out almost every day," he said.
huang junqiao, member of the party committee of yiwu municipal bureau of commerce of zhejiang province, said that yiwu is the world's largest small commodity wholesale market. yiwu international trade city brings together 2.1 million kinds of goods produced in china. most of these goods are necessities for people's production and life, and are highly consistent with the needs of the african market. this also makes yiwu a bridgehead for china-africa trade.
data shows that yiwu's exports to africa in 2023 will be 98.627 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.9%. since 2016, exports to africa have shown an average annual growth rate of 13.02%.
"in 2023, there were 24 countries in africa to which yiwu's exports exceeded 1 billion yuan. the products exported to africa were mainly electrical equipment, plastic products, steel products, clothing and accessories. among them, the export value of motors, electrical equipment and their parts reached 10.998 billion yuan," said huang junqiao.
taking root in china and becoming a "new yiwu person"
thirteen years ago, ding en, who was from the african country of niger, was not very familiar with china and had never considered developing his career in yiwu. after coming to yiwu in 2011, ding en found that this place was completely beyond his imagination.
"you can buy everything in yiwu, and the logistics are well developed." ding en said that his foreign trade company in china is involved in the export of daily necessities, industrial products and other commodities. the business has expanded to 16 countries in africa and can export more than 300 containers every year. he is currently planning to arrange a larger warehouse for himself.
after 21 years in yiwu, sura has become a "new yiwu person" who loves to drink tea and talk business. "yiwu can be said to be my blessed land. not only have i made many chinese and african friends here, but i have also lived a life without worries about food and clothing." the 48-year-old sura said that in 2012, he registered and established yiwu koruisitong trading co., ltd., with an annual trade volume of more than 400 million yuan.
"from selling tableware and toys to africa, to selling building materials and hardware products, and then to selling new energy vehicles. chinese manufacturing is constantly upgrading, and african people's consumption is also upgrading." sura said that as more and more chinese people invest and set up factories in africa, africa will also usher in a new era of development and share the fruits of modernization with the people of the world.
yu bei, who regards yiwu as his "second hometown", is from benin, africa. seven years ago, he started as an ordinary clerk and has now grown into a sales director of zhejiang jinmin electric co., ltd., with an annual income of nearly 500,000 yuan. yu bei said that he once had the opportunity to go to the united states and canada, but he still chose china. "i think this is a kind of fate. the import and export trade between china and africa is booming, and i have more development opportunities here."
starting from purchasing small commodities in yiwu, to establishing his own foreign trade company in yiwu, and then becoming a "new yiwu person", there are more and more african businessmen like sura who have taken root in yiwu. data shows that from january to july 2024, more than 50,000 african businessmen entered yiwu, of which more than 3,000 african businessmen lived in yiwu.
two-way running to achieve mutual success
in order to help merchants better conduct foreign trade, yiwu has innovatively created a digital trade comprehensive service platform "yiwu small commodity city china goods", which facilitates merchants to build overseas site groups, connect with overseas trade, and welcome more orders and more online international partners.
africa is one of the main export destinations for zhejiang yilinnuo technology co., ltd. in order to expand its business, the company hired professional english, french and arabic translators, but current technology allows them to reach wider areas and populations.
"we conduct overseas business through yiwu small commodity city china goods, using the 'ai digital boss lady' software to convert into multiple languages. last year, exports to the african market increased by more than 30%." said tao juying, the "boss lady" of yilinnuo.
in addition, yiwu has also created an "overseas ecosystem" and built a "going global system of oversea sub-markets + overseas warehouses + overseas exhibition halls" to help more yiwu products and yiwu merchants go global.
yiwu and dubai ports world group jointly invested in opening the first overseas branch market for small commodities in dubai, uae. it will be officially put into use at the end of june 2022, covering an area of 200,000 square meters with a total investment of approximately 1.06 billion yuan. in the future, it will effectively radiate to the huge consumer markets in the middle east, north africa and europe.
we need to both go out and bring in.
simple and exquisite raffia straw hats, nautilus fossils of various shapes, lifelike wood carvings... in the madagascar national pavilion of yiwu china import commodity city, each exquisite product made the passing buyers and customers love it. vicky, who speaks fluent chinese, patiently explained the craftsmanship and uses of these products to the merchants. vicky is from madagascar and her chinese name is meili.
"now, i do business in both sides, and it is getting better and better." meili told reporters that when she came to yiwu from madagascar in 2009, she mainly exported chinese daily necessities, knitted clothing, hardware accessories and other products to her motherland. in 2011, she opened a madagascar store in yiwu to sell african products to yiwu, eyeing the huge consumer market in china.
you are in me, i am in you. data shows that in 2023, yiwu's imports from africa will reach 6.259 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 101.91%. in terms of investment, by the end of 2023, yiwu has 12 registered companies investing in africa, with a registered investment amount of nearly 100 million us dollars. the investment locations involve 9 countries and regions including egypt, rwanda, nigeria, ethiopia, angola, south africa, uganda, cameroon, and kenya. the investment areas involve textiles, clothing and apparel, business services, rubber and plastic products, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, loading and unloading, and warehousing.
"today's china-africa relations are not simply a one-way relationship of china's trade exports to africa, but a mutually beneficial relationship of 'running towards each other'." huang junqiao said that taking advantage of the "belt and road" initiative, yiwu will next promote the construction of trade, logistics, settlement and other systems with africa, and contribute to the building of a high-level china-africa community with a shared future.
a malian merchant (left) is shopping for photovoltaic components at a store in yiwu china commodity city (photo by weng xinyang)
