As a new force in global trade, cross-border e-commerce allows more people to realize "buy global sell global". According to preliminary statistics, in 2023 China's cross-border e-commerce import and export 2.38 trillion yuan, an increase of 15.6%. At present, cross-border e-commerce has become an important driving force for the growth of foreign trade, continue to deepen the comprehensive reform of cross-border e-commerce around the world, innovative initiatives, open up the blockage, and promote cross-border e-commerce business to accelerate the development.
Rapid growth in export volume
The hot market situation of cross-border e-commerce has attracted well-known domestic e-commerce platforms to carry out cross-border e-commerce business. Shanghai Airport Port has become an important channel for cross-border e-commerce to promote national products to the sea. With the low price strategy, emerging e-commerce platforms such as Xiyin, Pinduoduo, TikTok and so on have risen rapidly, occupying a larger share of the foreign e-commerce market. The reporter was recently informed by Shanghai Pudong Airport Customs that the above three e-commerce platforms have witnessed explosive growth in 2023 with a year-on-year increase of more than 10 times in export declarations, and the declared export volume has accounted for more than 30% of the total amount of cross-border e-commerce export declarations from the port.The declared volume of exported cross-border e-commerce from Shanghai airports reached 440 million tickets in 2023, a year-on-year increase of nearly two times to hit a new record; and the total value of the export was more than 85 billion yuan.
"This is our 310th export shipment since last year, and the sales trend is good." A few days ago, a batch of HDPE pipes produced in Linyi, Shandong Province, were sent to the Middle East on time through Qingdao E-Ray International E-commerce Co. Chen Weize, business director of the company, said, "We have now carried out supply chain cooperation with enterprises in the node cities of the Yellow River Basin, such as Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, etc., and are actively promoting the grouping of industrial products to go to the sea."
As the main seaward channel of the Yellow River Basin, in recent years, Qingdao has actively integrated into and served the major national strategies of ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, vigorously promoted the development of cross-border e-commerce business, and taken the lead in the country to establish the "9+2" cross-border e-commerce industry cooperation and exchange mechanism covering nine provinces and regions along the Yellow River Basin, Xinjiang and Yunnan, and the Yellow River Basin Cross-border E-commerce Alliance. In 2023, Qingdao Customs supervised a total of 110 million cross-border e-commerce export lists, a year-on-year increase of about 80%.
On January 12, the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province issued Document No. 1 of 2024, announcing a new round of well-known brands of cross-border e-commerce exports in Zhejiang, and 16 brands in Ningbo were on the list. Up to now, Ningbo has cultivated a total of 53 provincial-level cross-border e-commerce export famous brands, accounting for 20% of the total number in Zhejiang Province. 2023, Ningbo realized cross-border exports of RMB201.32 billion, an increase of 15.4% year-on-year.
New channels continue to open
A few days ago, the fifth air rights cargo flight loaded with cross-border e-commerce goods such as clothing and daily necessities took off from Ningbo Airport under the supervision of Ningbo Customs and arrived in New York after a 16-hour flight. "It is now the peak season for buyers to prepare goods, and it is expected that the amount of goods prepared before the Spring Festival will grow to a daily average of more than 120,000 tickets, an increase of 30%." Zhou Tangyin, assistant general manager of Zhejiang Sinotrans Co., Ltd. in charge of transportation, is full of confidence.
Previously, there is no direct flights to New York, Ningbo, Ningbo companies want to air cargo to New York, can only detour to Shanghai and other places. Now, with the landing of the fifth air rights, these high value, time-sensitive cross-border e-commerce parcels can fly directly from Ningbo to overseas consumers. At present, Ningbo Airport has opened the Ningbo - Liège, Ningbo - Chicago, Ningbo - Los Angeles, Ningbo - New York four fifth air rights routes, are cross-border e-commerce air export line.
On January 22, in the express supervision center located in the Bonded Logistics Center of Qingdao West Coast New District, staff members were skillfully packing a batch of garments from Xi'an into trucks, ready to be shipped to Japan by sea.
"It is expected that all of our goods can be dispatched to Japanese consumers within 5 days, which is 2 to 3 days shorter than before." Qingdao West Coast New Zone Bonded Logistics Center Capacity Deputy Director Sui Wei Jing introduced, "Relying on the recently opened 'cross-border out to sea' Japan sea transport main channel, our cross-border efficiency to Japan is once again enhanced."
At present, Qingdao West Coast New Area Bonded Logistics Center has built up a one-stop cross-border e-commerce shipping service system covering the whole chain of "efficient domestic transportation - fast customs clearance for export of cross-border e-commerce - international shipping - domestic customs clearance and delivery in Japan". Export integrated service system.
Regulatory Reform Helps to Go to Sea
Facing the situation of rapid development of cross-border e-commerce exports, Pudong Airport Customs continuously promotes the reform of export cross-border e-commerce supervision business. "We start the export electronic release, cross-border e-commerce logistics enterprises to declare a vote of e-commerce goods, data matching success after 5 minutes to receive the customs release information." Song Ge, deputy director of the Express Mail Division of Pudong Airport Customs, said. With the rapid growth of export business, some logistics enterprises have encountered bottlenecks in the cost of space, operating hours, route selection, etc., which need to be solved by opening chartered flights. Pudong Airport Customs has customized regulatory programs for logistics enterprises, coordinated and guided them forward to ensure zero delay in service and zero waiting time for customs clearance.
Ningbo focuses on cultivating a cross-border e-commerce "one-stop and two warehouses" public service platform system. That is, in addition to overseas warehouses, it also develops export front warehouses and encourages enterprises to set up independent stations. Last year, Ningbo in the country's first cross-border e-commerce export front warehouse supervision new model. As the first batch of pilot enterprises, Ningbo Oceanis independent station from 2014 to date, the user has more than 4 million. Xiao Yinglan, the manager of the independent station, said, "The feature of the independent station is to be as close as possible to the local demand and consumption habits, so that the products win the goodwill of consumers, and the brand's overseas popularity is also getting higher and higher".
In order to help enterprises to better develop overseas markets, increase the "product out of the sea" efforts, Qingdao Customs in the cross-border business supervision on the basis of further support for qualified enterprises to carry out cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouse business, help e-commerce enterprises rely on overseas warehouse to expand overseas markets. Huangdao Customs Enterprise Management Department Special Area Business Section Chief Fang Stalin said, "through the e-commerce overseas warehouse mode of export, the logistics cost is lower, delivery time is higher, and help enterprises to enhance competitiveness."
In order to meet the needs of e-commerce enterprises for export returns, etc., Qingdao Customs, as one of the first ten Customs directly under the nation's first cross-border e-commerce retail exports of goods across the customs area return business pilot, actively explore efficient and smooth return process. Subsequently, domestic cross-border retail e-commerce commodities exported from other ports can choose to be returned from Qingdao Customs District ports for inbound shipment, significantly shortening the logistics and transportation time.
