Hangzhou kicks off its 2026 Foreign Trade Service Season. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dca3ab147f57]

Hangzhou kicked off its 2026 Foreign Trade Service Season on Jan 14, rolling out six sets of measures to support goods trade, services trade, digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, industrial layouts, and platforms that support opening-up.

The opening event, a global supply-procurement matchmaking session hosted by the Hangzhou municipal bureau of commerce, brought together more than 30 overseas business associations from countries including Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil, as well as over 400 Zhejiang foreign trade firms.

Vietnam alone sent 17 buyers seeking machine tools, food-processing and packaging lines, automation equipment and industrial cooling systems. Hangzhou companies also used the event to explore emerging markets. Surron, an electric off-road motorcycle maker with a strong presence in Europe and the United States, said it is now looking to expand into Vietnam, Indonesia and the Middle East.

In addition to bringing buyers in, Hangzhou will also help firms expand abroad. The city released its 2026 self-organized overseas exhibition plan, covering 12 trade fairs in 10 cities across nine countries, and announced its first-quarter outbound trade targets. More than 600 Hangzhou companies are expected to expand overseas in the first quarter in search of new orders and bigger markets.

A global supply-procurement matchmaking session is held at the opening event. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_dca3ab147f57]