Yiwu, home to the world's largest wholesale market, is also becoming a hub for China-Africa commerce as its own African community thrives. Many African American traders regard Yiwu as their next home, since they're given chances to participate in the city's affairs, enjoy a High amount of spiritual liberty, and are treated according to law enforcement officers.

Sitting at his office in near Yiwu futian market, East China's Zhejiang Province, Sourakhata Tirera, a Senegalese businessman, changes easily between Chinese, French and his mother tongue Soninke to answer telephone calls from his own suppliers, partners and personnel.

A successful businessman who has lived in town since 2007, Tirera, known by natives as His Chinese title "Sula," is currently a proud representative of the flourishing African community at Yiwu.

The local authorities put a poster up with his face at the train station and on billboards along with the city's primary road, as a means to laud his entrepreneurial spirit but also to showcase the town's embrace of foreign traders.

Local authorities estimate that about 80,000 African traders see Yiwu each calendar year, along with approximately 3,000 traders from around 50 African. Nations that have settled into the city of some 1.2 million.

Yiwu is also playing an increasing role in China-Africa trade.

Luo Lingjuan, a Yiwu-born businesswoman who now travels back and forth between Yiwu and South Africa to do business, says African traders began to arrive in Yiwu at 2001.

Luo said Africans began to arrive in droves in about 2007 and have since been growing in numbers. "In comparison with Chinese traders in Africa, African dealers' language abilities are much stronger and a lot of them master Chinese at a very short time," she told The International Times.

Leo Nzeogwu (pseudonym), a fellow dealer who moved from Guangzhou to Yiwu five decades back, said he transferred as he feels the city offers him additional chances. "Yiwu has significantly more goods today than Guangzhou, also at the market it's quite easy to obtain exactly what you want because of it it is designed. In Guangzhou there is no market," he informed the Global Times.

He runs on the logistics company near the International Trade City, also has a Chinese wife and two kids.

Tirera states more and more Africans are coming to Yiwu to do business.

Considering that 2007 when he first settled down in Yiwu, his business has increased from hiring just 1 translator to a company with 33 workers, along with his office has enlarged three times and currently covers three floors in a building near the International Trade City, transport over 200 Containers house every month, full of hundreds of goods such as garments, toys, accessories and electronics.

Yiwu, home to the world's largest wholesale market, is also becoming a hub for China-Africa commerce as its own African community thrives. Many African American traders regard Yiwu as their next home, since they're given chances to participate in the city's affairs, enjoy a High amount of spiritual liberty, and are treated according to law enforcement officers.

Sitting at his office in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, Sourakhata Tirera, a Senegalese businessman, changes easily between Chinese, French and his mother tongue Soninke to answer telephone calls from his own suppliers, partners and personnel.

A successful businessman who has lived in town since 2007, Tirera, known by natives as His Chinese title "Sula," is currently a proud representative of the flourishing African community at Yiwu.

The local authorities put a poster up with his face at the train station and on billboards along with the city's primary road, as a means to laud his entrepreneurial spirit but also to showcase the town's embrace of foreign traders.

Local authorities estimate that about 80,000 African traders see Yiwu each calendar year, along with approximately 3,000 traders from around 50 African. Nations that have settled into the city of some 1.2 million.

Yiwu is also playing an increasing role in China-Africa trade.

Luo Lingjuan, a Yiwu-born businesswoman who now travels back and forth between Yiwu and South Africa to do business, says African traders began to arrive in Yiwu Market at 2001.

Luo said Africans began to arrive in droves in about 2007 and have since been growing in numbers. "In comparison with Chinese traders in Africa, African dealers' language abilities are much stronger and a lot of them master Chinese at a very short time," she told The International Times.

Leo Nzeogwu (pseudonym), a fellow dealer who moved from Guangzhou to Yiwu five decades back, said he transferred as he feels the city offers him additional chances. "Yiwu has significantly more goods today than Guangzhou, also at the market it's quite easy to obtain exactly what you want because of it it is designed. In Guangzhou there is no market," he informed the Global Times.

He runs on the logistics company near the International Trade City, also has a Chinese wife and two kids.

Tirera states more and more Africans are coming to Yiwu to do business.

Considering that 2007 when he first settled down in Yiwu, his business has increased from hiring just 1 translator to a company with 33 workers, along with his office has enlarged three times and currently covers three floors in a building near the International Trade City, transport over 200 Containers house every month, full of hundreds of goods such as garments, toys, accessories and electronics.

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