Linyi Trade City grows as global bridge for business

Through decades of efforts, the Linyi Trade City in Linyi, Shandong province, has gone from street stalls to China's largest wholesale market cluster, now embracing internationalization and digitalization.

For merchants like Emmanuel Jerry Donkor from Ghana, who sees Linyi as his second hometown, it serves as a vital trade link. Donkor has been in the city for years since graduating from Shandong First Medical University and is the head of the Ghanaian Nzema Chamber of Commerce in Linyi.

"The merchants from my hometown on the other side of the world rely on us to inspect factories and select goods here," said Donkor. He now helps connect his homeland with Chinese suppliers and also exports Ghanaian products through the market.

An aerial photo of Lantian Northern International Auto City in the Linyi Trade City, Shandong. [Photo/Haibao News]

The Linyi Trade City actively fosters global links. From January to November last year, the trade city organized 90 events, welcoming 44,500 international merchants, a 47.85 percent year-on-year increase, and generating intended transactions of 23.67 billion yuan ($3.39 billion). During the same period, the total market transaction volume reached 646.51 billion yuan, with logistics turnover amounting to 1.01 trillion yuan, and foreign trade imports and exports totaling 105.65 billion yuan.

Furthermore, Linyi Trade City is expanding globally through initiatives like organized trade delegations and overseas brand promotion in recent years. Lantian Northern International Auto City exports around 900 vehicles monthly to over 20 countries and regions. Local firm Haoduobao has replicated its popular low-price variety store model in Angola, where four outlets earn over 200,000 yuan daily.

This expansion is supported by robust logistics. As a national hub for international road transport, Linyi operates over 200 certified TIR vehicles. This network makes cross-border trade more efficient, while reducing the transit time to Moscow to under 10 days and significantly cutting costs for businesses.

（chinadaily.com.cn）