Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website
Subscribe CustomBlackClose

Belt & Road Weekly Subscription Form

download_pop

Research ReportCustomBlackClose

The full edition of the report is available at Xinhua Silk Road Database. You can click the “Table of Content” to have a general understanding of it.

Click on the button below to create your account and get immediate access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Xinhua Silk Road Database
Trade

InPics | Chinese merchants use AI to boost foreign trade orders at Yiwu mart

May 22, 2025


Abstract : Sun Lijuan is among the first merchants to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for foreign trade at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, an international hub for the production and trade of small commodities. Her shop, Hongsheng Toys, sells lifelike dolls and plush toys to international customers.

350272710150385665.jpg

Sun Lijuan makes a product-selling video inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

YIWU, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Sun Lijuan is among the first merchants to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for foreign trade at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, an international hub for the production and trade of small commodities. Her shop, Hongsheng Toys, sells lifelike dolls and plush toys to international customers.

In recent years, the rapid development of AI has boosted her orders and helped reduce operational costs. With the help of AI, Sun is able to present product-selling videos in 36 different languages to global viewers. Even the mouth movements of speakers in the videos can be adapted in line with the pronunciation.

Now in the city of Yiwu, nearly 30,000 merchants regularly use various AI tools in their businesses. AI-relevant applications developed in Yiwu alone have accumulated over one billion uses.

In addition to recording product-selling videos, Sun handles all matters related to her business within a 13.5-square-meter shop all year round.

Embracing new technologies such as AI counts as one reason for Sun's thriving business. She hopes that AI could benefit more Yiwu-based merchants.

350272712222371840.jpg

Sun Lijuan combs a doll's hair inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272714617319424.jpg

Sun Lijuan (C) and her colleagues make product-selling videos inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272717851127808.jpg

Sun Lijuan (R) introduces products to an Indian merchant inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272720279629824.jpg

Sun Lijuan displays product-selling videos in different language versions inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272722427113473.jpg

A colleague of Sun Lijuan displays a mobile app with an AI-powered virtual persona feature at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272724641705985.jpg

Sun Lijuan is pictured at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

350272726931795969.jpg

Sun Lijuan (C) works inside her shop at the Yiwu International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)

Scan the QR code and push it to your mobile phone

Keyword: AI Yiwu foreign trade

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to [email protected] and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Ask Us A Question belt & road login close

If you have any questions, please enter them in the box below.

Identifying code Reload

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to silkroadweekly@xinhua.org and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial