Foreigners help to mediate business disputes. Scenes like this are common in China's small-commodity hub of Yiwu. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Exit and Entry Administration Department of the Yiwu Public Security Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Office of Yiwu invited 22 expats to a dialogue on Yiwu's development on Dec 3.

The expats sat fact-to-face with representatives from the city's reform, technology, commerce, and finance bureaus as well as the Zhejiang China Commodities City Group.

Twenty-six topics were put on the table. They included exit and entry policies, free investment, business environment, talent introduction, and living environment.

Ukrainian businessman Yulian expressed hope that the government will implement favorable policies in the city's free trade zone and help private companies with off-shore business.

Yemeni doctor Ammar Albaadani said that expats in Yiwu are struggling to find information about the research and development of the Chinese coronavirus vaccine. He hopes the government can help expats receive the vaccine when it becomes available.

Suggestions from other expats include the same housing and education policies for foreigners and locals, a lower threshold for receiving medical insurance, and bilingual publications for local e-commerce platforms such as en.chinagoods.com.

Yiwu receives more than 550,000 overseas buyers and sells commodities to more than 210 countries and regions every year. 

The city was included in the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone in September and is striving to make it easier for foreigners to adapt to local life and play a role in the city's development.