Exchange Conference on 'China's Cross-Border E-commerce Development and New Opportunities for South-South Cooperation' Successfully Held at the UN Palais des Nations

[Ebrun Original] On May 13, the thematic exchange conference on 'China's Cross-Border E-commerce Development and New Opportunities for South-South Cooperation,' hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of China, was successfully held at the Palais des Nations of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference focused on China's mature experience and practical cases in cross-border e-commerce across areas such as model innovation, regulatory governance, and tax administration. It conducted in-depth exchanges on topics including how cross-border e-commerce facilitates trade connectivity and industrial upgrading in developing countries, exploring new models, pathways, and mechanisms for cross-border e-commerce to empower South-South cooperation.

Wang Zhihua, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade of China's Ministry of Commerce, attended the exchange conference and delivered a keynote speech. Acting Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Pedro Manuel Moreno, Director of the Division of Country Programmes at the International Trade Centre (ITC) Ana Paula Gomes, and Ambassador Deepak Dhital, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Office at Geneva, delivered remarks. Counsellor Liang Hong from the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland attended the meeting.

In his speech, Wang Zhihua pointed out that cross-border e-commerce has become a new driving force for China's foreign trade development, yielding significant results. Cross-border e-commerce brings new opportunities for the development of developing countries: China's development of cross-border e-commerce not only serves consumers in developing countries and improves their quality of life but also imports a large volume of specialty goods from these countries. The Chinese government, through technical assistance and personnel training, helps relevant countries enhance their cross-border e-commerce development capabilities, achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. In the next step, China will continue to deepen South-South cooperation in the field of cross-border e-commerce and jointly write a new chapter of South-South cooperation in the era of the digital economy.

Moreno stated that bridging the digital divide is a crucial commitment of South-South cooperation. The practical experience China has accumulated in e-commerce regulation, taxation, logistics, platform construction, and payment systems is worthy of reference for the vast number of developing countries. He emphasized the need to leverage practical cooperation to unleash the dividends of digital trade, steadily advance cross-border e-commerce in an open, inclusive, and development-oriented direction, and build a South-South cooperation framework based on equality and mutual benefit. He also highly recognized China's important role and positive contributions to global cross-border e-commerce development and the deepening of South-South cooperation.

This exchange conference was held during the 9th Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy of UNCTAD. Representatives from relevant UN international organizations, diplomats from multiple countries stationed in Geneva, and representatives from relevant Chinese institutions and enterprises participated. Representatives from Chinese enterprises and think tanks, including Alibaba's AliExpress, JD.com, Zhejiang Awasike Tax Consulting Co., Ltd., and Ebrun Think Tank, shared their experiences in cross-border e-commerce development and cases of South-South cooperation. Ebrun Think Tank was invited to speak at this exchange conference. Vice President Fan Fei stated that China's innovative practices in cross-border e-commerce—such as innovating tariff systems while considering trade facilitation, promoting local enterprise investment to share the digital economy, driving the local construction of cross-border e-commerce service systems, and empowering local industries for global sales—can provide valuable references for developing countries in developing their digital economies.

This conference is an important initiative by China to implement the Global Development Initiative and deepen South-South cooperation. It has established a significant platform for countries to exchange experiences in cross-border e-commerce and expand cooperation space. It holds positive and far-reaching significance for promoting the high-quality development of global cross-border e-commerce and advancing South-South cooperation in a more substantive and profound manner.