Strong growth in cross-border e-commerce (policy interpretation)

　　In recent years, my country's cross-border e-commerce import and export scale has continued to grow rapidly, becoming a new bright spot in the development of foreign trade.

Six departments including the Ministry of Commerce recently jointly issued the "Notice on Expanding the Pilot Program of Cross-border E-commerce Retail Imports and Strictly Implementing Regulatory Requirements" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice").

The "Notice" clarified that the cross-border e-commerce retail import pilot program will be expanded to all cities where the free trade pilot zone, cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, comprehensive bonded zone, import trade promotion innovation demonstration zone, and bonded logistics center (Type B) are located (and area).

What impact will the expansion of the pilot scope bring, and what is the current development trend of cross-border e-commerce?

The reporter conducted an interview.

my country's cross-border e-commerce retail import scale has exceeded 100 billion yuan

　　Cross-border e-commerce retail imports are not far away from us. Domestic consumers buying overseas goods through cross-border e-commerce platforms constitute cross-border e-commerce retail imports.

According to statistics, in 2020, my country's cross-border e-commerce retail import scale has exceeded 100 billion yuan.

　　The development of new business formats is inseparable from the strong support of relevant policies.

Since 2016, my country has explored a transitional period policy arrangement for cross-border e-commerce retail imports of goods to be "temporarily supervised by personal belongings". Since then, the transition period has been extended twice to the end of 2017 and the end of 2018.

In November 2018, the Ministry of Commerce and other six departments issued the "Notice on Improving the Supervision of Cross-border E-commerce Retail Imports", clarifying that it will be piloted in 37 cities including Beijing, and cross-border e-commerce retail imports will be imported as items for personal use. Supervision, does not implement the first import license approval, registration or filing requirements, ensuring the continuous stability of the supervision arrangement after the transition period.

In 2020, the pilot program will be further expanded to 86 cities and the entire island of Hainan.

　　"Supervision of imported goods for personal use" means easier procedures and faster circulation.

Driven by pilot projects, my country’s cross-border e-commerce retail imports have grown rapidly.

Gao Feng, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said that since the launch of the cross-border e-commerce retail import pilot in November 2018, various departments and localities have actively explored, continuously improved the policy system, and standardized and developed in the development.

At the same time, the risk prevention and control and supervision systems are gradually improving. Supervision during and after the event is powerful and effective, and it has the conditions for replication and promotion on a larger scale.

　　"This expansion of the scope of the trial is mainly to better meet the people's growing needs for a better life, and to promote the better development of cross-border e-commerce imports." Gao Feng said, in the future, the cities in which relevant regions are located, as long as they meet the requirements of customs supervision. The development of online shopping bonded import business facilitates enterprises to flexibly adjust their business layout according to development needs, and facilitates consumers to purchase cross-border goods more conveniently, which is conducive to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, and at the same time, efforts are made to strengthen supervision during and after the event.

　　As the pace of consumption upgrades continues to accelerate, Chinese consumers' demand for high-quality imported goods is increasing day by day. More consumer groups hope to buy all over the world without leaving their homes. There is more room for the development of cross-border e-commerce retail imports.

In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will work with relevant departments to urge the pilot cities to strictly implement the requirements and promote the healthy and sustainable development of cross-border e-commerce retail imports.

Support policies are introduced intensively to create a good environment for rapid development

　　In March this year, the first China Cross-border E-commerce Fair was held in Fuzhou, attracting a total of 2,363 exhibitors, covering 33 cross-border e-commerce platforms around the world.

According to incomplete statistics, a total of over 3.5 billion US dollars was reached in the exhibition.

Customs data shows that in 2020, my country's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports are 1.69 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.1%.

Cross-border e-commerce has gradually become a new engine for high-quality development of foreign trade.

　　Zhang Jianping, director of the Research Center for Regional Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, said that in recent years, cross-border e-commerce has maintained a double-digit growth rate and has made significant contributions to the development of my country's foreign trade.

Especially in 2020, my country's foreign trade will achieve a V-shaped reversal under severe challenges, which is not unrelated to the development of cross-border e-commerce.

Cross-border e-commerce has given full play to its unique advantages of breaking through time and space constraints, low cost, and high efficiency, becoming an important choice for companies to carry out international trade and the vanguard of foreign trade innovation and development, playing an active role for foreign trade companies in responding to the impact of the epidemic.

　　The intensive promulgation of supporting policies has also created a good environment for the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce.

　　In 2020, my country will add 46 new cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test areas, and the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test areas will be expanded to 105.

The Ministry of Commerce, in conjunction with relevant departments, adheres to the principles of encouraging innovation, tolerance and prudence, encourages cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones to carry out service, business and model innovation, and supports the development of the entire chain of cross-border e-commerce, including integrated design, production, marketing, trading, and after-sales. Accelerate the construction of new highlands for opening up.

With the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone as the starting point, various localities will build offline industrial parks, actively attract leading enterprises to enter the zone, and drive the surrounding upstream and downstream supporting enterprises to gather.

At present, more than 330 industrial parks have been built in various cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot areas, which have created more than 3 million jobs.

　　In terms of customs clearance, the General Administration of Customs has innovatively launched cross-border e-commerce B2B (business-to-business) export pilots, and newly established cross-border e-commerce B2B direct exports (9710) and cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouses (9810) trade methods. A pilot project was carried out in 22 directly affiliated customs offices such as Beijing to promote the innovation of cross-border e-commerce supervision from B2C (business to individual) to the B2B field, with supporting measures to facilitate customs clearance. Pilot companies can apply "one registration, one point connection, priority inspection, Customs clearance facilitation measures such as allowing customs transit and facilitating return of goods.

　　"Under the background that customs are conducting export supervision pilots and all regions are accelerating the construction of comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, cross-border e-commerce will continue to flourish under the encouragement of policies and the environment, injecting new vitality into my country's foreign trade transformation and upgrading." Zhang Jianping said.

　Digital technology is widely used in all aspects, and supervision methods need to keep pace with the times

　　Cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain and other digital technologies are widely used in all aspects of cross-border trade, driving the continuous transformation and upgrading of cross-border e-commerce.

　　Wang Xiaohong, deputy director of the Information Department of the China International Economic Exchange Center, said that this new digital foreign trade format is based on a full-link cross-border trade platform, forming an integrated manufacturer, supplier, retailer, consumer, logistics, finance, and government supervision. The ecosystem within the sector.

It includes not only cross-border commodity circulation, but also related logistics, finance, information, payment, settlement, credit investigation, fiscal and taxation and other supporting services, efficient customs clearance, foreign exchange collection, tax refund and other comprehensive foreign trade services, as well as informatization, Digital and intelligent new supervision methods and new international rules system.

　　"It is precisely because of the advantages of the ultra-large-scale market, the industrial promotion mechanism and the inclusive supervision method that have promoted the rapid growth of China's cross-border e-commerce enterprises, and the rapid rise of enterprise scale and strength." Wang Xiaohong said, but it should also be noted that cross-border e-commerce companies Border e-commerce is still in the initial stage of development. Supporting facilities such as warehousing, transportation, distribution, after-sales service, experience, payment and settlement still need to be improved, and the supervision method also needs to keep pace with the times, and it is necessary to adhere to both standardization and development.

　　While the cross-border e-commerce retail import pilot is expanded this time, it is also clearly required that each pilot city (region) should earnestly assume the main responsibility for the pilot work of the cross-border e-commerce retail import policy in the region, strictly implement the regulatory requirements and comprehensively strengthen quality Safety risk prevention and control, timely investigation and punishment of illegal activities such as "bonded online shopping + offline pickup" and secondary sales outside the special customs supervision area to ensure the smooth progress of the pilot work and jointly promote the healthy and sustainable development of industry standards.

　　There is demand in the market, policies have added vitality, cross-border e-commerce is growing strongly, and supporting facilities are gradually following up.

According to reports, the number of cross-border e-commerce overseas warehouses in my country currently exceeds 1,800, and the growth rate will reach 80% in 2020, and the area will exceed 12 million square meters.

　　Drawing: Zhang Danfeng

　　Reporter Luo Shanshan