The fair, to be sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Zhejiang provincial government and several other organizations, aims to boost exports of the country' s small commodities.

An annual national small commodities fair has been held in Yiwu since 1995, attracting an increasing number of Chinese and foreign businesses.

More than 1,500 companies from 26 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Singapore, participated in the seventh China Small Commodities Fair in October 2001.

Yiwu is the largest small commodities trade and export center in Asia. Overseas businesses have established more than 100 trade subsidiaries and representative offices in the city, handling nearly 10,000 tons of goods a month.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2002)