Yiwu Mayor Met with Delegation of AMS Diplomats

On 1 August 2021, Mr. Wang Jian, Mayor of Yiwu, met with the delegation of diplomats from ASEAN Member States (AMS) participating in the “ASEAN Youth, Run with Yiwu” Global Youth Business Programme (GYBP) organized by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC). He exchanged views with Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Ambassador of Thailand to China and head of the delegation, on practical cooperation and friendly exchanges between Yiwu and ASEAN. Ms. Razida Hanim Binti Abdul Razak, Minister Counsellor from the Malaysian Embassy in China, officials from embassies and consulates in China of the Lao PDR, Singapore and other AMS and Ms. Wang Hongliu, Director of the General Affairs and Coordination Division of ACC, were present at the meeting. Mr. Wang Wei, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yiwu Municipal Committee, Ms. Wu Dan, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Yiwu, Mr. Yang Zhonghong, Director of the Yiwu Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Mr. Lou Xiaodong, Director of the Yiwu Municipal Market Development Committee, and Mr. Wang Dong, General Manager of the Zhejiang China Commodities City Group Co Ltd, attended the activity.

Mayor Wang Jian welcomed the delegation to Yiwu to co-host and attend the “ASEAN Youth, Run with Yiwu” Global Youth Business Programme, and introduced the economic and social development of Yiwu. He said Yiwu is a city both old and young with a long history and profound culture. It has developed rapidly since the reform and opening up of China and established trade contacts with 233 countries and regions. Yiwu has been identified as the world’s largest small commodity market by the United Nations, the World Bank and other international authorities. President Xi Jinping positioned Yiwu as the world’s “Capital of Small Commodities”. He said with the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), Yiwu is willing to further expand cooperation with AMS, create a sixth-generation market marked by new import markets, and especially increase imports from AMS. The city looks forward to more cooperation with ASEAN distributors. He encouraged the delegation to join hands with Yiwu in “ASEAN Youth, Run with Yiwu” (GYBP), encourage ASEAN youth to start businesses together with Yiwu, and further deepen exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN and Yiwu in culture, tourism and other fields. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations, Yiwu is willing to make positive contributions to the promotion of bilateral relations to a higher level.

Ambassador Arthayudh Srisamoot expressed appreciation to the Yiwu Municipal Government for the thoughtful arrangements. He said he was impressed by the development achievements of Yiwu, which has become one of the global trade hubs. In 2020, ASEAN became China’s largest trading partner. Over the past two years, ASEAN and China have worked together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the ASEAN-China relationship has become closer. Although the delegation only visited a small part of the Yiwu International Trade Mart on the afternoon of the first of August, they all marveled at the huge scale of the market, the variety of the commodities, and the innovative and beautiful designs of goods. He expected that Yiwu will play a more important role in ASEAN-China trade, provide a platform to fully display Chinese products to ASEAN and become a distribution centre of ASEAN commodities. He thanked ACC and the Yiwu Municipal Government for co-hosting the “ASEAN Youth, Run with Yiwu” GYBP. He believed that the programme will help cultivate young ASEAN talents interested in international trade, promote exchanges between ASEAN youth and Chinese enterprises, and deepen ASEAN-China friendly relations.