After Spring Festival, Jin Tianhong and Wu Hongqiang, two businessmen from Dongyang, had already packed up their bags to set off to countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) to do business again.

　　Jin Tianhong left for Laos carrying the design drawings of mahogany furniture, which is Dongyang’s traditional industry. In 2017, he and his friends extended their company to Azhaopo, a city in the south of Laos with low cost of labor and raw materials. Now the company has become the largest company in the local industrial park.

　　Wu Hongqiang set off for Kenya. He is waiting for a batch of new product molds to be sent from Yiwu, and he will take them to the small appliance factory in Nairobi. Before then, he worked in the clothing trade in Dubai.

　　Jin Tianhong and Wu Hongqiang are both physically handicapped, but they are still pursuing their dreams. “If others can do it, I can also do it. You just need to seize opportunities and make up your mind to fight against all difficulties,” said Wu.

　　The market competition is fierce, raw material prices are soaring, and environmental requirements are increasing, all of which make the traditional mahogany furniture business more difficult. At the age of 17, Jin started to learn woodcarving, and he has been dealing with wood for over 30 years. In the first half of 2017, he decided to expand his business to Laos, taking full advantage of the cheap cost of raw materials and labor and then transporting the semi-finished products back to Dongyang for processing.

　　Wu started his business abroad in 2002. His family was in the clothing business, and at the age of 17, he traveled around the world with his mother on business. After he got married, he opened a clothing shop with his uncle in Urumqi. Just when everything was going smoothly, a car accident required the amputation of Wu’s right leg and brought over 200,000 RMB in debt. After a year of recuperation, Wu made a decision to go to Dubai to do business, which thoroughly surprised his family.

　　When Wu arrived in Dubai, he couldn’t speak any English. With the help of his friends, he successfully got his first customer. Due to the language barrier, he could say nothing but his promise: the goods would arrive in 45 days, and please pay the bill after you get the goods. At that time, the normal shipping time of Chinese containers to Dubai was two months, so the customer was suspicious even with Wu’s promise. However, after 43 days, all seven containers of goods arrived that the customer had ordered, and Wu soon received 1.5 million RMB in payment. Before long, he got a second order from the same customer: 20 containers of goods. In this way, Wu’s reputation in the Dubai market was established. The products he sells are all of excellent quality, making Wu’s clothing business popular in Murshid Bazaar. However, the social environment in Kenya is more complicated than in Dubai. Although most local citizens are honest and friendly, criminals are also very common. There is always a possibility of unforeseen circumstances in business contacts.

　　When Jin first went to Laos to do business, he also encountered various difficulties. Jin said that Dongyang businessmen won respect and trust from local governments and enterprises with their integrity and good business.

　　Businessmen from Jinhua are moving forward in the global market with integrity and responsibility, and Jin Tianhong and Wu Hongqiang are the epitome of them. 

(Executive Editor: Yongliu HE)