MKsport East China's Zhejiang Province on July 9, 2024. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-11-25/825732b5-78c0-4dee-a6c7-d41c4b3de9a2.jpeg" />

A Chinese vendor discusses business with a foreign client at China Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province on July 9, 2024. Photo: VCG

As Christmas approaches, a number of Chinese exporters are reporting significant order growth this year, with high-quality products helping to add a festive touch to the global holiday season. Yiwu, a key manufacturing hub in East China's Zhejiang Province, has seen robust sales as suppliers cater to rising demand worldwide.

Several manufacturers from Yiwu told the Global Times that the city's Christmas product exports experienced a rapid growth this year. High-quality products, continuous innovation and strong orders from emerging markets have contributed to this success.

Yiwu's Christmas merchandise boasts global competitiveness in both cost and quality, with stable sales of products such as Christmas apparel, lights and ornaments continuing this year, Jiang Jiangping, a Christmas goods producer and exporter at China Yiwu International Trade City, the main wholesale market in Yiwu, told the Global Times on Monday.

Jiang said that his factory primarily manufactures holiday gifts and apparels for Christmas, Halloween and other festivities. His products are mainly sold in the US, Europe and the Middle East, with annual sales of 30 million yuan ($4.1 million). This year, his business has seen a 10-15 percent year-on-year growth.

Another Christmas goods exporter, Ouqi Craftsmanship, also expressed optimism about this year's sales. The company's manager, surnamed Wang, told the Global Times that this year saw the most export orders in the past five years.

While orders from Europe and the US saw modest growths, orders from Central Asia and Eastern Europe experienced a notable increase. These regions now account for about 30 percent of the total order volume, up from around 10 percent last year, said Wang.

Yiwu's exporters have been constantly investing in innovation to grasp new trends emerged in Christmas products, such as the application of 3D technology. For example, Yiwu has introduced new, durable, washable and colorfast dinner plates, which have become particularly popular in Southeast Asia, according to Yiwugou.com, an e-commerce platform operated by Zhejiang China Commodities City Group. The company highlighted these advancements as a testament to the city's ability to adapt and innovate.

During the peak of this year's Christmas product order period, Jiang said his store was swarmed with foreign buyers. "At times, there were so many visitors that they had to wait in line to place orders." He contributed his factory's success to continuous innovation, saying the company introduces around 300 new products annually. 

"Innovation is the life of our products," Jiang said, adding that they are already designing and manufacturing new products for export next year.

With this year's orders already shipped, some Yiwu businesses have already begun taking orders for next year. 

Jiang expressed optimism about future growth, citing Yiwu's advantages in production capacity, market adaptability and logistics services. "We have already started receiving orders for next year, which is a strong indication of confidence in our industry," he said.

As companies prepare for next year's holiday seasons, many are working on new Christmas product designs, said Yiwugou.com.

"Yiwu businesses are hosting meetings to discuss new products, including design, color choices and market forecasts for the coming year, closely following the new trends in global market," according to the platform.

Yiwu has seen a significant growth in foreign trade this year despite increasingly complex uncertainties in global trade. The city's total trade value reached 613.99 billion yuan in the first 11 months, up 17.6 percent year-on-year, surpassing last year's total and setting a new record, data from Yiwu Customs showed on December 19. During the period, exports alone amounted to 542.06 billion yuan, recording a 17.4 percent year-on-year increase, while imports rose by 19.0 percent to 71.93 billion yuan.