Pic story: Belt and Road Initiative brings opportunities for Afghan retailer

Aziz (3rd L) chats with his friend, a Jordanian restaurant owner, in Yiwu City, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 9, 2019. Aziz Ullah, 41, came to Yiwu City in east China's Zhejiang Province in 2003 with his partners after his graduation from university in his home country Afghanistan. It was his first time to come to Yiwu to shop for smallware. In 2005, Aziz started his own company after being an agent for about 2 years. In recent years, the Belt and Road Initiative has brought tremendous opportunities for Aziz's company. He bought more than 200 containers of articles a year and exports them to Afghanistan, Britain, the Netherlands, Ukraine and other countries. At the same time, with the help of the China Railway Express, He imported Afghanistan's handmade carpets, dried fruits, saffron and other specialty products to China. Aziz, who has lived in Yiwu City for almost 17 years, is also a mediator of a mediation committee, which aims to help solve disputes involving foreigners. "Yiwu is my second hometown. I feel comfortable doing business and living here." Aziz said. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)