Foreign customers select sports goods at a store in the Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, on January 7, 2026. Photo: VCG

In a sports equipment factory in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, workers delayed their journey home for Spring Festival by two full weeks to make soccer balls amid surging overseas orders. 

Thousands of kilometers away, at the recently concluded Milan Optical Fair in Italy, over 130 eyewear companies from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, filled the halls, showcasing their latest designs and actively courting international buyers.

Together, these scenes offer a striking snapshot of China's export engine roaring at full throttle just before the country's biggest holidays, as factories are ramping up production to ensure the delivery of growing overseas orders ahead of the nine-day holidays and businesses are going all out to expand markets and secure orders for a good start to the new year. 

Chinese businesses' efforts to stabilize their oversea orders in the global industrial chain by ensuring smooth supply even during the long holiday period and enhancing the quality and design of export goods are conducive to the development of China's foreign trade sector, industry experts said, expressing confidence in the prospects of the country's export sector in the new year.

Fire on all cylinders

"Many of our workers come from Guizhou, which is quite far from Zhejiang. So, previously, they generally went back to their hometowns at the start of the 12th lunar month for the Spring Festival, but this year, I asked them to work for another two weeks to race against the clock to produce soccer balls for export," Chen Shaomei, manager of Minsa Sports in the Yiwu International Trade Market, Zhejiang Province, told the Global Times.

Though the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US is still five months away, Chen's company has seen the number of orders rise by 30 percent since July 2025.

"Our main export destinations include emerging markets such as Africa, the Middle East, and South America, as well as mature markets like the US. We independently design, brand, and produce our products. By emphasizing quality, our brand has built up a certain level of local recognition in these markets," Chen said, noting that more overseas orders are expected after the Spring Festival and thus workers are asked to return to the production line earlier than usual after the holidays.

Like Chen's company, Qicaihu Garments Weaving Co, a swimsuit manufacturer in Jinjiang, East China's Fujian Province is equally busy in recent days. 

Xu Yongzhu, deputy manager with the company, told the Global Times that workers responsible for bulk packaging at the company need to work until the eve of the Spring Festival, as a batch of products will be shipped to Europe and North America on the first working day after the holidays. 

"The days ahead of the Spring Festival are a critical stock-up period and we must go all out to ensure delivery to overseas clients," Xu said.

While swimsuits bring the exhilarating joy of water-based frolics, electric heated hand warmers bring the cozy warmth to customers in cold countries. Chen Jianping, manager of Jinyang Daily Use Products Factory, a manufacturer of electric heated hand warmers and mini fans in Yiwu, told the Global Times that the company has started night shifts and Saturday overtime so as to ensure the production of about three containers of products for export to Europe before the Spring Festival.

"Currently, our company's overall orders are robust, with a slight increase compared to the same period last year. In addition to this urgent batch of orders, we are also making preparations for exports after the holidays," Chen said.

Resilient growth

"This reflects a positive trend across China's foreign trade sector. With various measures to ensure the delivery of overseas orders, these companies' efforts help build a sound foundation for the completion of full-year orders in new year," Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies under the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Within the resilience of China's foreign trade lies the resolute determination of businesses to forge ahead by embracing new clients, orders and opportunities through overseas trade activities. 

At the Milan Optical Fair, one of the leading international exhibitions in Milan, Italy, which concluded on February 3, over 130 eyewear companies from Wenzhou, Zhejiang, made a collective appearance and secured a total of approximately $300 million in intended orders, firing the "first shot" of Wenzhou eyewear firms' efforts to expand into new markets and pick up orders in the Spring season, a local media outlet reported.

On January 28, Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province launched a program aimed at helping over 2,000 export-oriented enterprises to explore markets and embrace new orders through overseas trade trips.

"Despite growing uncertainties in the external environment, the fundamentals of China's foreign trade are solid. Thanks to policy support, the country's foreign trade sector faces more opportunities than challenges in the new year," Li said.

Despite challenging global trade in 2025, China's foreign trade expanded 3.8 percent year-on-year in yuan terms, marking the ninth consecutive year of growth for China's foreign trade since 2017 and demonstrating  resilience and vitality, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on January 14.

In 2025, Yiwu's total foreign trade value reached 836.5 billion yuan, up 25.1 percent year-on-year and surpassing 800 billion yuan for the first time, according to Yiwu customs.

"Looking ahead, a crucial improvement in China's foreign trade will lie in improving the product structure," Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce and executive deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, told the Global Times.