At a recent State Council executive meeting, Premier Li Keqiang announced that 22 new cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones will be established to continuously promote opening up and promote the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade.
Since 2015, the country has approved the establishment of 13 cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones in Hangzhou, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc., which have achieved positive results. The transaction volume of cross-border e-commerce has more than doubled for two consecutive years. However, the first batch is mainly located in large and medium-sized cities in the east.
The meeting decided on the same day to promote the development of cross-border e-commerce on a larger scale, select places with good e-commerce infrastructure and great import and export development potential, and tilt towards the central, western and northeastern regions. A number of new cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones will be established in 22 cities including Beijing, Hohhot, Shenyang, Changchun, Harbin, Nanjing, Nanchang, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanning, Haikou, Guiyang, Kunming, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xiamen, Tangshan, Wuxi, Weihai, Zhuhai, Dongguan and Yiwu.
The country has set up 22 new cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones, bringing the total number to 35
It is worth noting that the newly established cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones have another outstanding feature. Most of them are located in cities where China-Europe freight trains have been opened. This will help guide cross-border e-commerce to re-plan its future development, distribute orders more reasonably in the global market, and help companies actively explore diversified markets.
As of the end of June this year, the total number of China-Europe freight trains has exceeded 9,000.
Premier Li Keqiang has emphasized the need to promote the development of new formats such as cross-border e-commerce in the Government Work Report for four consecutive years, and has repeatedly stressed: "New drivers and formats such as cross-border e-commerce must not be underestimated. Although they account for a small proportion in the initial stage, they are developing rapidly. They can not only facilitate people's lives and force China's manufacturing industry to transform and upgrade, but also drive the development of service industries such as logistics, payment, and express delivery, and further promote the development of foreign trade imports and exports."
Li Keqiang demanded that all relevant departments should improve supporting policies in practice, support the healthy and rapid development of cross-border e-commerce, create new highlights for foreign trade growth, and maintain my country's due status as a major exporting country.
The meeting on the same day required that relevant departments and city governments should deepen the "deregulation, decontrol and service" reform in the foreign trade field, take cross-border e-commerce as a breakthrough, further simplify procedures and streamline approvals in logistics, warehousing, customs clearance, etc., improve supporting policies such as customs clearance integration and information sharing, promote inclusive, prudent and effective regulatory innovation, and promote the liberalization, facilitation and business innovation of international trade.
