“One Belt” refers to the “Silk Road Economic Belt”, which is an economic belt composed of countries or regions along the land route; “One Road” refers to the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, which is an economic belt composed of countries or regions along the sea route.
“One Belt, One Road” is an economic cooperation zone with a large span and great development potential in the world. Countries or regions along the route can achieve complementary advantages, effectively integrate resources, and expand economic and trade cooperation with each other.
The proposal of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative has brought new opportunities for cross-border e-commerce practitioners. The following will explain the general situation of the regions and countries along the route from the three directions of the north line, the middle line and the south line. E-commerce sellers can choose the “One Belt, One Road” market that suits them according to their own situation and their own product conditions, and seize the new opportunities brought by national policies.
16.1 North Line
The important countries or regions along the north line of the “One Belt, One Road” include Mongolia and the 7 CIS countries.
16.1.1 Mongolia
Mongolia has a land area of 1.5665 million square kilometers and a total population of about 3 million. Its economy is mainly based on animal husbandry and mining. Its main imported products are mineral products, machinery and equipment, and food. In 2018, Mongolia’s GDP grew by 6.9% year-on-year, with a per capita GDP of US$4,014. Internet users in the country account for about 75% of the total population, reaching 2.25 million. B2C and C2C are relatively common e-commerce models in the local area. Mongolia’s cross-border e-commerce is in its infancy and is an emerging cross-border e-commerce market in a period of rapid development.
16.1.2 CIS
The CIS consists of seven countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Moldova.
Russia has a land area of 17.0982 million square kilometers and a total population of about 14.5 billion. It is the largest Internet market in Europe and one of the largest e-commerce markets along the Belt and Road. The main imported products are machinery and equipment, transportation, food, agricultural raw materials, chemicals, rubber, metals and their products, textiles and clothing, etc.
In 2018, the Russian e-commerce market revenue reached 18 billion US dollars, and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. It is expected that the market transaction volume will reach at least 23 billion US dollars in 2021.
Russia is one of the few countries with more than 100 million Internet users. It has a wide network coverage and is a country with a large number of Internet users in Europe. Such a large user base provides favorable conditions for the development of the e-commerce market and is one of the important cross-border e-commerce markets.
Ukraine has a total population of 42.4 million and a per capita GDP of US$2,640. The main importing countries are Russia, China, Germany, etc. The main imported products are natural gas, oil, paper, plastic products, ground transportation equipment, medicines, grain and lathes, etc.
Belarus has a total population of 9.477 million and a per capita GDP of US$5,726. The main imported products are: mineral products, machinery and equipment, transportation, ferrous metals and their products, chemical products and rubber, etc.
Georgia has a total population of 3.72 million and a per capita GDP of US$3,940. Its top ten trading partners are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, China, Germany, Russia, the United States, Bulgaria, Armenia and Italy.
Azerbaijan has a total population of 9.79 million and a per capita GDP of US$3,854. The main imported products are machinery and equipment, food, wood, medicine, transportation vehicles and their accessories, ferrous metals and their products, furniture and daily necessities.
Armenia has a total population of 2.97 million and a per capita GDP of US$3,937. The main imported products are mineral products, food, chemical products, etc. The main trading partners are Russia, China, Germany, Bulgaria and Ukraine.
Moldova has a total population of 3.55 million and a per capita GDP of US$2,300. 80% of the country’s land area is high-yield black soil fields, suitable for growing crops and rich in grapes. Moldova’s industrial base is relatively weak.