At the 136th Canton Fair, major players in the cross-border e-commerce sector gather to offer “one-stop” services for participating businesses.
As international buyers flock to the fair, they are eager to tap into China’s e-commerce expertise. “In recent years, we’ve been exploring new business opportunities on cross-border platforms,” shared several domestic exhibitors, highlighting their latest strategies for overseas expansion. Cross-border e-commerce has emerged as a new driving force for China’s foreign trade, with imports and exports totaling 18.8 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of this year, reflecting an impressive year-on-year increase of 11.5%, outpacing the overall foreign trade growth rate of 6.2%.
The Canton Fair has introduced a dedicated “Cross-Border E-Commerce Display Area” on the first floor, showcasing seven leading platforms alongside 34 supporting service providers. This initiative aims to enhance the integration of traditional trade models with new foreign trade formats, offering exhibitors streamlined and efficient end-to-end trade services, empowering Chinese manufacturers to better “set sail” internationally. With the growing global recognition of China’s cross-border e-commerce capabilities, overseas buyers aspire to leverage this digital landscape to expand their markets worldwide.
International purchasers are increasingly leveraging Chinese cross-border e-commerce to sell globally. “Can I send products from China to customers in the U.S. using just one account? How long does shipping take?” asks Israr, a Pakistani buyer who has participated in the fair for three consecutive years. This time around, he specifically visited Amazon’s Global Selling booth to inquire about their services.
This year marks Amazon’s Global Selling’s debut at the fair. “With our global supply chain solutions, users can streamline management processes and effectively reduce operating and service costs,” explained a representative at the booth, guiding Israr to a display wall showcasing innovative services and solutions.
“Some international buyers come to China seeking products because they recognize China’s expertise in cross-border e-commerce. They hope to use our services to promote their brands and goods across other global regions,” noted Sun Qingqing, Market Director at inQbrands. The firm, part of Focus Technology, provides one-stop cross-border e-commerce services tailored for the North American market. “We’ve seen significant interest from domestic suppliers as well, with over a hundred consulting us within just a few days,” she added.
According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, the cross-border e-commerce imports and exports accounted for 5.8% of China’s overall foreign trade in the first three quarters, up 0.3 percentage points year-on-year. Exports alone reached 14.8 trillion yuan, reflecting a growth of 15.2%.
“I’m thrilled to see relevant companies in the ecosystem here and to learn more about the cross-border e-commerce field, as most of my products come from China,” shared Israr.
Local service providers are working to streamline processes and reduce costs for businesses entering international markets. “We participated in previous cross-border fairs, and our goal here is to introduce China’s cross-border services to more clients,” said Chen Feng, Customer Service Manager at Guangzhou Electronic Port Administrative Company. “Our public information platform connects regulatory agencies and logistics businesses, enhancing data sharing and speeding up processes. This has increased data transmission rates by 30% and reduced the need for multiple trips by companies, saving them over 10 million yuan annually in logistics costs.”
The China (Guangzhou) International Trade Single Window also attracted inquiries from many enterprises wanting to understand how to navigate challenges related to customs and forex compliance in cross-border e-commerce. Guangdong province has been actively promoting the integration of “cross-border e-commerce + industry,” achieving 427.34 billion yuan in cross-border e-commerce imports and exports in the first half of this year, maintaining its lead nationally.
As more Chinese merchants venture into the cross-border e-commerce space, they face challenges such as warehousing, talent, standards, and compliance. A representative from a domestic ceramics brand admitted that while they have ventured into the B2C sector via cross-border e-commerce, they’ve found high demands for warehousing logistics. “We are exploring multiple avenues beyond traditional foreign trade, continuing to push through the challenges of cross-border e-commerce,” he concluded.
During the fair, the “2024 Cross-Border E-Commerce Insights White Paper” was released, showcasing numerous success stories of traditional companies tapping into international markets via cross-border e-commerce. Prior to this trend, pool cleaning robots were predominantly overseas brands; however, Chinese companies have now captured more market share by developing user-friendly features like solar charging and automatic climbing based on user pain points.
As the global trade environment evolves, diversifying, branding, and fine-tuning operations have become vital strategies for many businesses. Zhang Jun, E-commerce Director at Shenzhen Lin Ao Import and Export Co., emphasized that cross-border e-commerce offers a crucial channel for companies to enhance their brand awareness internationally.
The fair also highlighted the growing integration of cross-border e-commerce and artificial intelligence (AI). Recently, Amazon Global Selling launched a generative AI feature designed to assist sellers in creating product detail pages while providing insights into sizing for apparel and footwear, improving consumer experiences and reducing return rates. “We are fully committed to leveraging the latest advancements in AI to enhance sales and shopping experiences for both domestic and international businesses,” a representative noted.
Weijian Guo, former Vice Minister of Commerce and Vice Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, stated in an interview that the evolution of cross-border e-commerce is closely tied to the global digitalization wave. Presently, cross-border e-commerce exhibits marked trends of digitization, intelligence, and sustainability, significantly impacting transaction efficiency and convenience, as well as deep-tech applications in supply chain management, overseas warehouse distribution, and brand development. An increasing number of platforms are employing intelligent technologies to optimize logistics processes and enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency. Future developments in cross-border e-commerce will increasingly depend on big data, AI, and the Internet of Things to achieve comprehensive digital upgrades across the supply chain, with sustainable supply chain practices becoming essential for enhancing competitive advantage.
In conclusion, China’s cross-border e-commerce has seen remarkable growth, with total imports and exports reaching 18.8 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of this year, marking an 11.5% increase compared to the same period last year, outpacing overall foreign trade growth by 6.2 percentage points. The latest statistics confirm that cross-border e-commerce accounted for 5.8% of overall foreign trade during this period, with exports alone reaching 14.8 trillion yuan, a 15.2% growth year-on-year. Through initiatives like the “cross-border e-commerce + industry” model, Guangdong continues to lead the way in national cross-border commerce.
