China Financial and Economic News:

Cross-border e-commerce has been a hot topic in the economic field in recent years and has become a new driving force for foreign trade growth. Could you please elaborate on the latest development of cross-border e-commerce? What measures will customs authorities take to promote the development of cross-border e-commerce in the next step? Thank you.

Zhao Zenglian:

I will ask Mr. Lyu to answer your questions.

Lyu Daliang:

Thank you for your questions. The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce is a global phenomenon, building a direct bridge between more and more consumers and enterprises. I believe some of you may have a cross-border online shopping experience like me. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has rolled out a series of policies and measures, including establishing integrated pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce, improving and expanding the positive list of imported retail goods for cross-border e-commerce, as well as continuously developing new regulatory approaches for cross-border e-commerce customs clearance. These initiatives have promoted the accelerated development of China's cross-border e-commerce. According to customs statistics, China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports in 2023 increased 1.2 times compared with 2018. Preliminary estimates show that imports and exports in the first half of this year were 1.22 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.5%.

The robust growth of cross-border e-commerce has presented new challenges for customs oversight and services. Currently, customs authorities supervise more than 7 billion cross-border e-commerce express parcels and mail items annually, averaging about 20 million per day. In response to this situation, customs authorities have continuously developed new regulatory approaches, developed and applied cross-border e-commerce customs clearance service systems, and focused on improving the efficiency of cross-border e-commerce customs clearance. At the same time, practical measures have been taken to ensure that customs clearance is both fast and manageable. For example, we have carried out risk monitoring for imported food via cross-border e-commerce and sampling inspections for consumer goods. We've also launched a special initiative to comprehensively address the issue of "exotic pets" being shipped through cross-border e-commerce channels. These measures aim to ensure the quality and safety of cross-border e-commerce products and prevent the entry of prohibited items.

Chinese customs' regulatory practice on cross-border e-commerce has also provided experience for customs around the world. In 2018, we co-organized the first Global Cross-border E-commerce Conference with the World Customs Organization (WCO), and took the lead in drawing up the Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce. Practical cases of Chinese customs' statistical methods for cross-border e-commerce have been continuously included in the Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade compiled by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. We have actively participated in WTO's e-commerce negotiations and put forward our own suggestions. Chinese customs cross-border e-commerce commodity quality and safety control practices incorporate the WCO's good practice cases for cross-border e-commerce.

Next, Chinese customs will earnestly study and implement the spirit of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and continuously improve the customs supervision system that is conducive to the development of cross-border e-commerce. Currently, we are working on promoting the inspection before shipment mode and have taken measures to expand the pilot scope of cross-border e-commerce retail export returns. We will also continue to optimize functions of the cross-border e-commerce customs clearance service system, further simplifying the process and optimizing services to better meet the needs of consumers and enterprises to "buy globally and sell globally." In short, we aim to make everyone's shopping experience smoother and help the country's cross-border e-commerce sector continue to develop with high quality. Thank you!