Economic Watch: Chinese e-commerce platforms expedite cross-border trade

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's cross-border e-commerce has sustained a steady expansion against global uncertainties as many e-commerce platforms step up investment and innovation in logistics and retail services to improve the shopping experience for global consumers.

Initial estimates show that the imports and exports of China's cross-border e-commerce amounted to about 1.7 trillion yuan (about 232.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2023, a year-on-year increase of 14.4 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs.

In the past five years, China's cross-border e-commerce trade volume has increased 10 times, while its proportion in the country's foreign trade had risen from less than one percent five years ago to about five percent.

There are more than 100,000 cross-border e-commerce market players in China. Logistics has been a major concern for cross-border e-commerce and a major field of investment for market players.

JD Logistics, the logistics unit of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, has taken a leaf from the book of its domestic service, setting up forward warehouses in overseas markets like Germany and Spain to stay closer to consumers.

It has operated nearly 90 bonded warehouses, direct mail warehouses, and overseas warehouses around the world and plans to develop a comprehensive supply chain logistics network covering the globe's major countries within three years.

Another e-commerce heavyweight, Alibaba's international e-commerce platform AliExpress and its courier unit Cainiao, in late September, announced the launch of a five-day global delivery service in five overseas markets.

Consumers in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) can now select 'five-day delivery' to get orders from China within five working days.

In addition to improving delivery efficiency, e-commerce players have taken localization steps to woo more consumers.

Last January, JD.com launched the overseas retail brand ochama in the Netherlands. The omnichannel model allows shoppers to purchase products online through ochama's app and pick them up offline at hundreds of pick-up points in Europe or choose to have their orders delivered to their doorsteps.

Ochama last week announced the expansion of its home delivery services into 19 additional countries, bringing the retail platform's home delivery service to a network spanning 24 countries.

"By bringing the domestic innovative e-commerce shopping services, it will offer overseas consumers a convenient and reliable shopping experience and introduce more quality local and made-in-China products," said Zeng Xi, head of ochama's procurement and sales section.