Singaporean livestreamers sell products via a livestream session during the 4th China Cross-border E-commerce Trade Fair in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 19, 2024. The ongoing 4th China Cross-border E-commerce Trade Fair highlights a new model of livestream e-commerce. Professional livestreamers from Southeast Asian countries have launched sales sessions during the event.(Photo: Xinhua)
The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will announce policies to accelerate the construction of overseas warehouses to enhance China's cross-border e-commerce sector, the People's Daily reported on Tuesday.
Industry observers said that this move will help optimize the cross-border e-commerce landscape and drive growth in China's foreign trade.
Chinese companies have more than 2,500 warehouses overseas with a total area of 30 million square meters. There are more than 1,800 warehouses specifically dedicated to serving cross-border e-commerce, with a total area of 22 million square meters.
The number of cross-border e-commerce entities in China has exceeded 120,000, with more than 1,000 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, according to the report.
Overseas warehouses are an important form of support for cross-border e-commerce. By building or renting storage facilities abroad, part of the trade process is transferred overseas, and it ensures that many orders are no longer missed opportunities, which benefits the cross-border e-commerce industry, analysts said.
Overseas warehouses raise the efficiency of exports and enable overseas customers to observe the products in person, Wang Ping, a manager at Xi'an-based Danmk Industry Co, an overseas warehouse operator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"With the changes in the market, we started to do cross-border e-commerce, and we set up overseas warehouses in the US state of Texas as well as Istanbul in Turkey," said Wang, a veteran of international trade.
Goods exported through the overseas warehouses are equivalent to wholesale goods, and prices are more affordable than those transported in the traditional ways, Wang said.
Companies can utilize intelligent and automated warehouse systems to receive timely feedback on demand changes, further reduce the information gap between demand and supply, and optimize the supply chain, analysts said.
Wang's company also provides third-party services to other exporters, including import and export declarations, customs clearance and shipments.
The MOFCOM plans to leverage the 165 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in China to drive more firms to participate in international trade, nurture key industry players to lead the digitalization of the supply chain, and promote cooperation and negotiations for cross-border e-commerce in free trade agreement negotiations.
In the past five years, China's cross-border e-commerce has grown by more than 10 times, becoming a driving force of China's foreign trade.
In the first quarter of 2024, total shipments of cross-border e-commerce reached 577.6 billion yuan ($79.73 billion), an increase of 9.6 percent from last year. Exports reached 448 billion yuan, an increase of 14 percent year-on-year.
Wang Xin, president of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday that in the first half of the year, cross-border e-commerce exports showed steady growth, with particularly strong increases in the South American and Southeast Asian markets. Another growing market is the Middle East, where investment sentiment from Chinese companies is strong and favorable tax policies are being implemented.
"In the second half of the year, I am optimistic about the growth potential in the Southeast Asian and Central Asian markets, as more businesses are expanding into these regions rapidly," Wang Xin said.
Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province is to hold the 9th Shenzhen International Cross-Border E-commerce Trade Expo from June 15 to 17, bringing more than 2,000 traders to accelerate the expansion of the industry, according to Wang Xin.
China has established bilateral e-commerce cooperation mechanisms with 31 countries and regions. The proportion of cross-border e-commerce exports in total merchandise exports has also been steadily increasing, according to the MOFCOM.
Exports rose 4.9 percent year-on-year in the January-April period to 7.81 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs.
The export recovery will continue in the second quarter, Wu Chaoming, a deputy head of the Chasing Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"Factors such as a low base provide strong support for export growth, along with a moderate global manufacturing recovery and the upgrading of the export product structure," Wu said.
据《人民日报》周二报道，商务部将宣布加快海外仓建设的政策，以加强中国的跨境电子商务发展发展。业内观察人士表示，此举将有助于优化跨境电商格局，带动中国对外贸易增长。
中国企业在海外拥有2500多个仓库，总面积3000万平方米。专门服务跨境电商的仓库1800余个，总面积2200万平方米。
报告显示，中国跨境电商实体数量已超过12万家，跨境电商产业园区超过1000个。
海外仓是支持跨境电商的重要形式。分析师表示，通过在国外建造或租用存储设施，部分贸易过程转移到海外，确保许多订单不再错过机会，这有利于跨境电子商务行业。
海外仓提高了出口效率，使海外客户能够亲自观察产品，总部位于习的海外仓运营商Danmk Industry Co.的经理王平周二告诉环球时报。“随着市场的变化，我们开始做跨境电商，我们在美国德克萨斯州和土耳其伊斯坦布尔都设立了海外仓，”国际贸易资深人士王说。
王说，通过海外仓库出口的货物相当于批发货物，价格比传统运输方式更实惠。
分析师表示，企业可以利用智能和自动化的仓库系统及时接收需求变化的反馈，进一步缩小供需之间的信息差距，并优化供应链。
王的公司还为其他出口商提供第三方服务，包括进出口报关、清关和装运。
商务部计划利用中国165个跨境电子商务试验区，带动更多企业参与国际贸易，培育引领供应链数字化的重点行业参与者，推动跨境电子商务在自由贸易协定谈判中的合作与谈判。
近五年来，中国跨境电商增长了10倍以上，成为中国外贸的驱动力。
2024年第一季度，跨境电商总出货量达到5776亿元人民币（797.3亿美元），同比增长9.6%。出口4480亿元，同比增长14%。
深圳市跨境电商协会会长王欣周二对《环球时报》记者表示，今年上半年，跨境电商出口呈现稳增长态，其中南美和东南亚市场增长尤为强劲。另一个不断增长的市场是中东，中国企业的投资情绪强劲，税收优惠政策正在实施
“今年下半年，我对东南亚和中亚市场的增长潜力持乐观态度，因为越来越多的企业正在迅速向这些地区扩张，”王欣说。
据王欣介绍，中国南方广东省深圳市将于6月15日至17日举办第九届深圳国际跨境电子商务贸易博览会，届时将有2000多名贸易商参加，以加速该行业的扩张。
中国已与31个国家和地区建立了双边电子商务合作机制。据商务部称，跨境电子商务出口占商品出口总额的比重也在稳步上升。
海关总署数据显示，1-4月出口同比增长4.9%，达到7.81万亿元。第二季度出口复苏将继续，大通研究院副所长吴超明周二告诉《环球时报》。
“低基数等因素为出口增长提供了强有力的支撑，同时全球制造业温和复苏和出口产品结构升级，”吴说。
