People celebrate the unveiling of the India Procurement Service Center at the Yiwu International Expo Center Square on March 8. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

More than 200 foreign traders participated in the unveiling ceremony of the India Procurement Service Center at the Yiwu International Expo Center Square on March 8.

Attendees participated in traditional Indian festivities, singing, dancing, and an event that involves smearing colors on each other to welcome the arrival of spring.

The country-specific procurement service center is an initiative launched by the Yiwu chamber of commerce for imports and exports in response to the practical needs of Yiwu's foreign trade and the need to better promote trade.

It has played a strong role in promoting Yiwu's integration into the international community, attracting foreign buyers to Yiwu for procurement, and promoting economic, trade, investment, cultural exchanges, and more between Yiwu and other countries.

On July 30, 2022, the Pakistan Procurement Service Center arranged a chartered flight to transport 163 Pakistani merchants back to Yiwu. This is the first such chartered flight to be arranged in China.

In recent years, Yiwu has seen increasingly close economic and trade relations with India. In 2022, trade between Yiwu and India increased by 38.81 percent year-on-year to 24.4 billion yuan ($3.5 billion).