China’s E-commerce Pilot Zones

A further 33 cities and regions have been approved for the establishment of comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce, as part of China's policy to increase foreign trade.

The number of comprehensive pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce established across the country has reached a total of 165, with many of the latest batch being located in central and western China and along its borders.

The pilot zones are expected to help transform and upgrade traditional industries and optimize and upgrade foreign trade.

According to the data by the General Administration of Customs (CAG), the import and export scale of China's cross-border e-commerce in 2021 was about RMB 1.92 trillion (USD 268.6 billion), with a year-on-year growth rate of 18.6 per cent, accounting for 4.9 per cent of China's total foreign trade. In the first half of 2022, the market registered 28.6 per cent year-on-year growth in trade volume.