A business delegation from Yiwu departs from Hangzhou International Airport for Tokyo, Japan on Feb 15. [Photo/Yiwu Media Center]

A business delegation from Yiwu, the largest in the past three years, departed from Hangzhou International Airport on Feb 15 for Tokyo, Japan to attend the international gift and consumer goods fair, marking the start of a five-day business trip.

Led by the local government, the delegation included 51 members, including representatives from 34 industrial companies specializing in textiles and apparel, daily necessities, and cosmetics, and 11 commercial and service enterprises.

Zhong Yulong, chairman of Zhejiang Tica Craft Co, brought 120 products with him on the trip, including more than 30 new ones.

"Seeing customers in person brings many opportunities!" said Zhong Yulong. Zhong believes that this year will be a year of recovery and increased orders for the company.

After the Chinese New Year, the enterprise's orders from Europe and America have increased by 30 percent over last year, and orders are now fully booked until April.

Over the next five days, the Yiwu business delegation will participate in various economic and trade activities, including the Tokyo International Gift and Consumer Goods Fair, and visit some Fortune 500 companies and century-old Japanese enterprises to study and learn from them.

The business trip to Japan is expected to further enhance economic and trade cooperation between Yiwu and Japan and promote the market development of Yiwu, a globally renowned small commodity hub.