Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center Opens, Establishing New Digital Commerce Standard

The Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center, the flagship project of the city's sixth-generation market, officially opened on October 14, completing the market's latest upgrade and signaling Yiwu's transformation from traditional trade to a full-scale digital-commerce ecosystem. This development positions the city as a global hub characterized by fashion, international standards, modernity, digital integration, and low-carbon operations.

Located in the middle of Zhejiang Province approximately 300 kilometers from Shanghai, Yiwu has long been recognized as a commercial and trade city with vibrant markets and unlimited business opportunities. The city has earned its reputation as the world's largest small-commodity wholesale market according to authoritative organizations and previously released China's first Market Credit Index. With the arrival of the digital trade era, Yiwu now stands at the forefront of market iterative upgrades.

The massive 1.25 million square meter center integrates five distinct zones: market areas, office buildings, commercial districts, apartments, and the Digital Trade Hub. The market already hosts vendors specializing in fashion jewelry, creative and trendy toys, and smart equipment. Notably, more than half of these vendors are second-generation merchants, next-generation start-ups, or brand and intellectual property owners, indicating a shift toward more sophisticated business operations.

Artificial intelligence plays a central role in the center's operations, with over 3,700 new stall-holders using and selling AI tools. Buyers can navigate the complex facility using AI assistance to locate products, shops, and contacts more efficiently. Zhou Jian, General Manager of Yiwu China Commodities City Big Data Co., Ltd., explained that tenants are mass-producing promotional videos using the in-house Xiaoshang AI Video Creator. What previously required a week and cost upwards of RMB 1,000 (approximately $140) per clip now takes minutes, as vendors simply speak "1-2-3-4-5" to the camera, add text, and receive multilingual versions almost instantly.

The impact on product development has been equally transformative. Cao Fanyue, owner of Muqi Jewelry, described how silver-jewelry development, traditionally capital-intensive, now benefits from Xiaoshang AI's ability to instantly transform ideas into designs. Her company's monthly output now exceeds 200 new stock-keeping units, demonstrating the platform's capacity to accelerate innovation and production cycles.

The center establishes one high-level Digital Trade Hub supported by three core platforms: Chinagoods for digital trading services, a digital supply-chain platform for efficient logistics, and Yiwu Pay for settlement. These systems collectively undergird end-to-end digital commerce while the center implements multiple digital-empowerment scenarios. The rapid expansion of AI large models, digital trade, and cross-border e-commerce within the facility signals a fundamental shift in how global trade operations will function moving forward.

This development matters because it establishes a new global benchmark for digital commerce infrastructure, potentially reshaping international trade dynamics. The integration of AI tools directly into the trading process reduces barriers for smaller businesses while accelerating product development and marketing cycles. The comprehensive digital ecosystem addresses multiple pain points in traditional trade, from language barriers in marketing to supply chain inefficiencies, creating a more accessible and efficient global marketplace.