Zhejiang China Commodities City Group (CCC), the State-controlled company that operates the Yiwu wholesale market, hosted a series of livestream events at the Yiwu China Imported Commodities Mall from Jan 16 to 18 to promote imported premium consumer goods from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Yiwu, a county-level city in Zhejiang province, is often dubbed "the world's supermarket"as it is home to the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities such as toys, socks, hair accessories, and plastic containers.

One of the most popular products on sale during the livestreams was dark chocolate from Russia. The imports were available at Chinagoods, a CCC-launched online platform that handles business license applications, product presentations, livestreaming sessions and payments.

"As the lunar new year approaches, Chinese consumers are eager to buy imported products. Livestream e-commerce is very popular among consumers as it enables consumers to shop in a contactless manner at more affordable prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic," said a shopkeeper at the Yiwu China Imported Commodities Mall who participated in the livestreams.