Quality 'warehouse for global buyers'

One notable feature of this year's China International Commodities Fair is that "standard" (as in quality-related benchmark or specification) has, for the very first time, become an important element of the 24-year-old event at Yiwu in Zhejiang province.

In front of many exhibition booths, name-boards have "standards" emblazoned on them, to suggest that the exhibitor concerned has either implemented or participated in setting globally recognized product standards.

The idea is to enable buyers from around the world to have direct knowledge of the quality-related features and technical specifications of their products.