(Yicai) Jan. 15 -- China’s Zhejiang province, an exports powerhouse, plans to organize more than 1,000 delegations from over 10,000 local firms to take part in trade shows outside of the mainland this year as they seek out new orders, according to government officials and businesses.

Ningbo, a major city in Zhejiang, will arrange 66 exhibitions in regions such as Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, Fei Jianming, who directs its commerce bureau's foreign trade promotion division, told Yicai. The municipal government’s help also includes funding and policy support.

Trade trips were already in full swing in the first week of this year, when representatives from more than 30 Ningbo-based businesses flew to Germany to participate in Frankfurt's Heimtextil, an annual fair for home and contract textiles. 

Zhang Yan, who is in charge of Century International Exhibition, noted that the Ningbo-based company will lead a team of nearly 200 firms to take part in an exhibition for metallic hardware in Cologne, Germany next month. 

Wenzhou, another city in Zhejiang, has been taking local companies on business trips one after another since the beginning of the year. Some went to a toy fair in Hong Kong on Jan. 4, while others attended a garment event in Barcelona and joined a conferences on economic and trade cooperation between Wenzhou and the Spanish city on Jan. 13. Next month, Wenzhou will also take representatives from more than 200 companies to an eyewear exhibition in Milan.

“This year’s exports will be even better than last year,” said Yan Yan Lierong, general manager of a Huzhou-based clothes manufacturer, adding that they more than doubled in 2023. The company plans to soon go to shows in Hong Kong, the United States, Australia, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Responding to the demand for personalized products and the trend of low-carbon consumption, businesses are developing and expanding their presence in these areas as well as embracing cross-border e-commerce, according to analysts.

Zhejiang is encouraging the construction of international marketing systems, including warehouses, showroom hubs, as well as sales and after-sales networks, per Chen Jianjun, deputy head of Haiyan county's commerce bureau. The Jiaxing city county has built warehouses and showrooms in Frankfurt to explore the European market, Chen added.

Editor: Emmi Laine