HANGZHOU, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Many entrepreneurs from Zhejiang Province, a foreign trade powerhouse in China, have started overseas trips to seek business opportunities.

The trips will see them attend trade fairs, establish contacts with potential customers, and engage in business negotiations in various parts of the globe, such as France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The trips are part of a campaign initiated by Zhejiang's commerce department earlier this month to boost business orders and expand markets for the province's vast numbers of trade-oriented enterprises.

The department expects to arrange over 10,000 trade-oriented enterprises for overseas business trips by the end of next year.

"Since the beginning of this year, many foreign-trade enterprises have reported declining overseas demand and orders," said Fei Jianming, an official with the commerce bureau in the city of Ningbo, who is on a trip to the UAE. "They have an urgent need to stabilize businesses and expand markets."

Ding Yandong, head of Rollmax shutter component Co., Ltd, a roller shutter component manufacturer in Ningbo, said the COVID-19 epidemic had dealt a blow to many trade-oriented enterprises over the past three years.

"We need to take the initiative to seek opportunities and go overseas to expand new markets," said Ding.