Despite the addition of temporary exhibiton halls, there are still 500 qualified enterprises failing to gain access to the 2003 China (Yiwu) International Small Commodity Fair, scheduled to open in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, today, Oct. 22, 2003.

The 2003 China (Yiwu) International Small Commodity Fair is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Organizers said that more than 8,000 foreign business guests from over 110 countries and regions worldwide as well as some 50 overseas business delegations from over 40 countries and regions are attending the fair.

Organizers said that they for the first time this year established seven terms of admission for enterprises to attend the fair since the number of enterprises applying for the participation of the event has far exceeded their expectation.

"There's nothing we can do and what we can do is just applying for an exhibition berth at next year's fair." said a boss of an enterprise from northeast China's Liaoning Province.

1,510 enterprises from home and abroad are participating in the fair, organizers said.

Supplying more than 200,000 commodities in 28 categories, Yiwu Small Commodity City is the largest small commodity distribution and exhibition center in Asia as well as the largest small commodity export base in China.

For this reason, Yiwu is widely known as a "small commodity city" in China.