HANGZHOU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The total import and export value of Yiwu City, known as the "world's supermarket" in east China's Zhejiang Province, reached 486.42 billion yuan (about 71.64 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, up 19.9 percent year on year, according to customs statistics.

Foreign clients purchase sports goods at Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 15, 2025. (File photo: Xinhua)

Its exports hit a record high of 420.72 billion yuan from January to June, up 17.3 percent, while the imports surged 39.1 percent to 65.7 billion yuan.

Since the beginning of this year, local market vendors have capitalized on global sporting events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, driving a sustained increase in exports of sports goods. In the first half of 2026, Yiwu exported 6.22 billion yuan of sports goods, of which 1.25 billion yuan went to Latin America, an increase of 20.4 percent year on year.

Yiwu Customs has pioneered a new model that enables parallel inspection and container loading at supervised warehouses. The reform has not only resolved key bottlenecks but also boosted export efficiency by 30 percent.

While consolidating traditional markets, Yiwu's foreign trade network continues to expand. In the first half, the city engaged in import and export trade with 230 countries and regions, an increase of four compared with the same period last year.

On the import side, Yiwu is buying more from around the world. Imports of consumer goods reached 31 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, up 19.5 percent year on year. Among them, aquatic product imports amounted to 5.02 billion yuan, up 58.3 percent. During the same period, imports of mechanical and electrical products grew 65.1 percent to 4.12 billion yuan.