An Uzbekistan buyer purchases artificial flowers in Yiwu. [Photo/Tide News]

Trade between Yiwu — a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province — and the five Central Asian countries continues its upward trajectory this year, reaching 4.97 billion yuan ($692.10 million) from January to May, up 8.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from Yiwu Customs.

Leading categories include machinery products, textiles, plastics, agricultural goods, and ceramics.

Over more than a decade, Zhejiang China-Europe freight trains have bridged markets by delivering Yiwu goods to Central Asia while importing cotton yarn, potash fertilizers, and other resources for domestic industries.

Lin Xiaoming, owner of Yiwu Lincy Lock Industry Co, said, "The Central Asian market has great potential and vitality, and it's an important export destination of our locks."

He noted that his company saw exports to Central Asia surge by nearly 10 percent in the first five months this year, driven particularly by smart fingerprint locks gaining traction there. "Although Central Asia now only accounts for about 15 percent of our orders," he said. "It's a blue ocean."

Ahead of the 2025 Yiwu Fair Overseas Exhibition set for June 23-25 in Tashkent, enterprises like Lina Electrical Appliance are seizing opportunities. Sun Xiaoyu, foreign trade manager at the firm, said that 10 cooling fans have already arrived in Tashkent waiting for the exhibition to explore the Central Asian market.

Further boosting connectivity, Yiwu has launched multiple logistics innovations. The first Yiwu-Tashkent international express train in the Yangtze River Delta was launched in February, cutting the journey from 10-12 days down to six-eight through the first digital integration of tracking systems between China and Kazakhstan; YRD's first Yiwu-Kashgar-Tashkent rail-and-road intermodal train launching in April slashed delivery time by two days.