Commodities fair opens in east China

An international commodities fair kicked off in an east China city on Tuesday, with 200,000 businessmen expected to attend the event in five days.

With 4,500 booths prepared for the exhibition, the 20th China Yiwu International Commodities Fair will see representatives of 2,529 companies from home and abroad throng to Zhejiang Province's Yiwu, the world's largest small commodity market, to seek business opportunities, according to the fair organizer.

China approved a pilot scheme on international trade reform in Yiwu in 2011, making it the first county-level city in the country to have a state-level reform program. Last year, a total of 770,000 containers of commodities were exported from Yiwu, according to official data.

Exhibitors will present products of seven major industries at the fair, including daily items, hardware, crafts, decorations, electronics, textiles, stationery and sports goods.

Forums centering on cross-border businesses and market trends will also be held at the fair before it closes on Saturday.

It opened on the heels of China's largest trade fair, the biannual China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in south China's Guangdong Province. At least eight flights will be launched between Yiwu and Guangdong's capital Guangzhou every day to allow delegates to attend both events.

The annual Yiwu fair, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, the Government of Zhejiang Province and other authorities, was first held in 1995.