CCTV Finance reports that, as a barometer of China's foreign trade, Yiwu — the world's largest distribution hub for Christmas goods, serving more than 170 countries and regions across 20,000-plus categories — is seeing an unusually late order peak. Unlike past years when shipments peaked in summer, festive-product exports remained strong into October, with overseas buyers placing fresh repeat orders.
The newly opened Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center has become a must-visit for overseas buyers. Smart items such as AI glasses, AI voice-recording cards, bionic butterflies and dancing robots are winning over purchasers from multiple countries. AI glasses in particular are hot, with peak daily shipments above 100 units and buyer traffic up more than 30% in the first three quarters.
Yiwu Customs data cited by CCTV shows the city's foreign-trade exports reached 548.85 billion yuan in January-August, up 12.8% year on year, while Christmas-goods exports to Latin America, the EU and ASEAN totaled 3.23 billion yuan — 67.9% of all Christmas-goods exports — highlighting the role of emerging markets.
