Pehin Dato Rahmani Dato Basir, Bruneian ambassador to China, browses products at the Yiwu International Trade Market. [Photo/WeChat account: yiwuwaishi]

A delegation led by Pehin Dato Rahmani Dato Basir, Bruneian ambassador to China, visited Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang province, on July 8-9.

Wang Wei, deputy mayor of Yiwu, welcomed the delegation and briefed them on the economic and social development of Yiwu.

According to Wang, before the epidemic, more than 560,000 foreign businessmen came to Yiwu every year, and 15,000 foreign businessmen lived in Yiwu. In 2021, the value of Yiwu's exports exceeded 360 billion yuan ($53.53 billion), accounting for 1.68 percent of the country's total exports.

Yiwu is strong in domestic commerce and trade, which can be attributed to more than 760,000 market players of all kinds, as well as the rapid development of logistics and e-commerce. The city received approval to set up a cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, and its business volume has ranked first within batch of pilots for two consecutive years. Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight trains also provide services to Hanoi, Vietnam and Vientiane, Laos and will continue to open routes to more countriues.

Wang Wei (right), deputy mayor of Yiwu, presents a souvenir to the Bruneian ambassador to China. [Photo/WeChat account: yiwuwaishi]

Wang invited young talent from Brunei to come to Yiwu to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship. He said he expected more exchanges and cooperation to be carried out between Yiwu and Brunei under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership framework.

Pehin Dato Rahmani Dato Basir spoke highly of the achievements Yiwu has made in recent years, adding that the Bruneian Embassy in China is happy to promote cooperation between the two sides in trade, culture and talent, as well as take part in fairs hosted in Yiwu.

Taking effect on Jan 1, the RCEP involves 15 Asia-Pacific countries including Brunei, an ASEAN member state.