The 3rd Linyi Trade City International Sourcing Conference for Belt and Road Cooperation kickstarted a global trade extravaganza on Oct 10 in Linyi, East China's Shandong province. Featuring the theme "Bridging the world, sourcing global excellence", the three-day event attracted over 2,000 buyers from 99 countries and regions such as South Korea, Malaysia, Middle East and Africa, as well as more than 2,800 exhibitors.

The event aimed to promote the integration of domestic and international trade, strengthen the connection between Linyi's supply chain and the global purchasing chain and boost foreign trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The event featured 17 specialized business-to-business sessions and a series of supporting activities, including international logistics investment promotion and cultural tourism promotion.

Linyi in Shandong, known as the logistics capital of China, is blessed with a prime geographical location. Located at the central hub of the north-south transportation corridor in eastern China and the eastern bridgehead of the Eurasian Continental Bridge, the city is the largest market cluster and commodity distribution center in northern China.

To date, the city has more than 3,000 logistics routes across the country, with its logistics cost 20 to 30 percent below the national average. Moreover, Linyi's international logistics channels continue to expand. It has 151 transport international router vehicles, the most in China. The number of departures is 604, ranking third in China. Linyi's China-Europe freight trains have been dispatched 336 times. Linyi Port has sent 125,777 TEUs of marine containers, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent.

Linyi Trade City has been stepping up its foreign trade reforms and accelerating its internationalization efforts. According to Linyi Municipal People's Government's statistics, the trade city has achieved 697.7 billion yuan ($97.9 billion) in logistics volume and 78.1 billion yuan in foreign trade from January to August this year.

"Linyi stands out due to its solid industrial foundation, well-developed logistics system, and strong supply chain advantages, making it an important trading hub both in China and across the world," said Muhammad Hanif Khan, representative from the World Chamber of Commerce Platform, at the conference's opening ceremony.

The platform values Linyi's pivotal role in international trade and hopes to develop a long-term partnership in the future, he added.

International buyers pick products at a booth during the 3rd Linyi Trade City International Sourcing Conference for Belt and Road Cooperation being held in Linyi, Shandong. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The conference attracts more global buyers to Linyi and develops future partnerships. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]