PHOTO // Ialoveni and Chinese city of Yiwu sign cooperation agreement to develop economic and trade relations

The cities of Ialoveni and Yiwu, from Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China, signed on July 8 a cooperation agreement that provides for the development of relations in the fields of local public administration, economy, trade, education, culture, and tourism. The document also establishes a framework for exchanges of experience and best practices between the two local administrations.

The agreement was signed by the mayor of Ialoveni, Sergiu Armașu, who is on a working visit to China, and the vice mayor of Yiwu, Tang Tang. According to the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Beijing, Petru Frunze, during the meetings with the leadership of Yiwu City Hall, measures were agreed to promote the wines produced by the Ialoveni city winery on the Chinese market. The Yiwu authorities will provide free exhibition spaces for the presentation of the wines and will support their commercialization through the network of shops specialized in imported products. Promotion of wines from the Republic of Moldova on this market will also be supported.

During the visit, there were also discussions with representatives of two companies from Yiwu operating in the fields of trade and logistics, with investment opportunities and joint projects being analyzed for the benefit of the city of Ialoveni. The mayor of Ialoveni, Sergiu Armașu, invited the leadership of Yiwu City Hall to make an official visit to the Republic of Moldova, together with a delegation of businesspeople, in order to strengthen cooperation relations and facilitate direct contacts between the business communities of the two localities. For his part, the vice mayor of Yiwu, Tang Tang, stated that the agreement represents an important step in developing institutional and economic cooperation between the two cities.

He emphasized that Yiwu can become an important platform for the promotion and commercialization of products from Ialoveni and from the Republic of Moldova on the Chinese market. The initiative to sign the agreement was launched in April 2026, on the occasion of a visit to Zhejiang Province by the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the People's Republic of China. According to Petru Frunze, dialogue with the Chinese local authorities will continue with a view to establishing new partnerships between localities in the Republic of Moldova and China, with the aim of attracting investments and developing economic cooperation.

The city of Yiwu has approximately 1.7 million inhabitants and hosts one of the largest wholesale commercial centers in the world, with an area of over eight million square meters, being an important hub of international trade.