The first international innovation forum on small commodities under the Belt and Road Initiative kicked off in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities on Oct 13, 2018.

The two-day event, themed around "Innovation-driven Development – the Making of World's Capital of Small Commodities," attracted government, company and education experts from 12 countries.

The forum included six sub-forums, which gathered a group of politicians, businessmen, scholars and experts to analyze the trends and solutions of innovation-driven development, and propel Yiwu's construction of being the world's capital of small commodities.

Meanwhile, the Yiwu Industrial & Commercial College held the 10th Zhejiang undergraduate industrial design contest during the event, presenting the innovation of Chinese youths on a global stage with their designs, which integrated new technologies, materials and crafts.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched in 2013, Yiwu has made major progress in building itself into a key city for international trade on the Silk Road Economic Belt, with efforts including setting up a bonded free logistics center and a hub for international mail, promoting the regular operation of the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe cargo line.

Yiwu now receives over 500,000 trips from overseas businessmen annually, with more than 13,000 merchants from 100-plus countries and regions living in Yiwu all year round. Yiwu commodities have been exported to over 210 countries and regions worldwide.