Foreign purchasers ask for product information at the 23rd China Yiwu International Commodities Fair. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

The 23rd China Yiwu International Commodities Fair (Yiwu Fair) came to an end on Oct 25, with more deals signed than at any previous edition of the five-day trade fair.

More than 2,200 companies from 15 countries and regions—including several big names such as Alibaba Group and Amazon—attended this year's fair in Yiwu, Zhejiang province.

They exhibited products from 14 different industries at 4,100 booths covering an exhibition space of 100 square kilometers.

A total of 180,993 visitors and purchasers, including 56,869 professional buyers from 165 countries and regions, browsed the booths over the course of the fair. The number of overseas purchasers was 9,013, a year-on-year increase of 25.1 percent.

Figures from the organizing committee showed that with over 60,000 deals signed during the fair, the trade turnover in the past five days totaled 17.87 billion yuan ($2.69 billion), up 2.24 percent over last year.

This year's fair was also notable for its promotion of world-leading standards and its focus on "Zhejiang Made" products.

The standards exhibition gathered agencies in the field of standardization, displaying the international standards that are dominated by China, regional standards with local characteristics and national standards that are of world-leading quality.

The themed exhibition area on "Zhejiang Made" products was an extension of a similar event held last year. Zhejiang is one of China's leading manufacturing regions. Displaying models of these products at the international fair is an initiative to improve the overall quality and comprehensive image of Zhejiang products worldwide.

Ambassador Mule Tarekegn, Ethiopian consul general in Shanghai, was impressed by the Zhejiang products at the exhibition, saying "I hope we could have more exchanges and deepen cooperation with Zhejiang manufacturing companies."

Yiwu is China's largest distribution center for wholesale products. It also plays a vital role in developing the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Yiwu Fair, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Zhejiang government, has been held annually since 1995. One of the largest, most influential and most productive trade fairs of its kind in China, it has been an important platform for small and medium-sized enterprises to explore the domestic and international markets.