Analysis on the current situation of China’s cross-border e-commerce pilot and import development

Cross-border e-commerce has played an increasingly important role in China’s development. From the establishment of pilot cities to the gradual improvement of policies, state support and market demand have jointly promoted the rapid growth of this field.

1. Cross-border trade e-commerce service pilot

In 2012, eight ministries and commissions including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued a document to launch a pilot program for cross-border trade e-commerce services and selected several cities including Shanghai, Chongqing, and Hangzhou. The purpose of the pilot is mainly to solve the problems of slow customs clearance, difficulty in settlement of foreign exchange and tax refund for express mail and mail in cross-border trade.

2. Establishment of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone

Since 2015, the State Council has successively approved the establishment of a number of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones to promote various pilot projects. On March 7, 2015, Hangzhou was approved to establish its first comprehensive experimental zone. In January 2016, the second batch of pilot areas in Tianjin and other cities received simultaneous approval. By 2018 and 2019, it has expanded to 22 and 24 new cities. The construction of these pilot zones focuses on pioneering exploration in cross-border e-commerce transactions, payment, logistics, customs clearance and other aspects, so as to gradually form development experience that can be replicated and promoted.

3. Importance of cross-border e-commerce imports

The rise of cross-border e-commerce has opened up a large number of import channels and become a new source of consumption for residents. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of pilot cities for cross-border e-commerce imports increased significantly. With policy support, it is expected to further stimulate import growth. This growth not only facilitates the shopping experience of residents in various regions, but also drives the trend of overseas consumption returning.

4. Challenges and future trends

With the continuous development of cross-border e-commerce, there are still differences in policy implementation and standards among pilot cities, leading to an increase in the complexity of import volumes and processes. After accumulating experience in the pilot phase, it will gradually become popular in the future, and any city with customs and port supervision conditions can carry out cross-border e-commerce. The increasingly improving policy environment will provide a better foundation for the development of cross-border e-commerce. It is worth looking forward to in terms of economic environment, technical standards and regulatory models.

The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce is inseparable from government promotion, market demand and technological development. Collaborative cooperation among all parties will further promote the healthy development of this field and add new impetus to future economic growth.