Feature: Comorian entrepreneur brings island fragrance to China

　　URUMQI, June 30 (Xinhua) -- At the 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 28-year-old Abdallah Daniel Abdallah greets visitors in fluent Mandarin at a pavilion filled with the tropical scent of ylang-ylang flowers, proudly showcasing essential oils from his island homeland.

　　"Just one or two drops in water, and the whole room smells incredible," Abdallah said.

　　Drawing over 2,800 enterprises and delegates from 50 countries and regions, this year's expo is the largest edition to date. Among the attendees are government officials, diplomats and business associations from Central Asia, the African Union (AU) and beyond. Notably, AU members Ethiopia, Zambia, the Comoros and Senegal joined the expo for the first time, underscoring its growing global engagement.

　　Abdallah's bond with China began in 2017 as a student at the Beijing-based Capital University of Economics and Business. After graduating in 2021, he returned to the Comoros to take over his father's ylang-ylang flower product business, determined to enter the Chinese market.

　　"My father thought China was too distant," he recalled. But after seeing the expo on TV, he decided to seize the chance.

　　Known as the "perfume islands," the Comoros is renowned for producing ylang-ylang, its national flower.

　　Abdallah aims to introduce ylang-ylang oil and related products to China's western regions, expand the relevant industrial chain and promote their use in cosmetics, personal care items, and even the pharmaceutical industry.

　　Attracted by the scent, Urumqi resident Ye Lixian said she plans to place bulk orders. "It's like bottling the sea breeze on Moheli Island."

　　On his first visit to Urumqi, Abdallah felt right at home and "fell in love at first sight." He said that during this trip, he experienced Xinjiang's warm hospitality, business-friendly environment, and openness.

　　As the five-day expo concludes on Monday, the two-day journey home -- via Guangzhou, Addis Ababa and a city in Madagascar -- does not deter him. Fresh off securing a Chinese business partner, he is already planning his next visit.

　　"Next year, I'll bring my parents to see China," he said. ■