Since the beginning of 2026, cross-border e-commerce (i.e., “cross-border e-commerce”) has become a key focus of economic work deployments by relevant departments in many regions.
On January 13, the General Office of the Hunan Provincial People’s Government issued “Several Measures to Promote a Stable Start to the Economy in the First Quarter of 2026,” proposing to strengthen the construction of comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones; on January 12, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce released the “List of Enterprises to be Supported for Cross-border E-commerce Projects (Third Batch)”; on January 9, the Henan Provincial Department of Commerce released the “List of ‘Source Factories’ in the Henan Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Belt (Second Batch)”; on January 7, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce released the “Public Notice on the Selection Results of Third-Party Service Agencies for Cross-border E-commerce Data Collection and Governance Projects.”
A senior investment advisor at Jufeng Investment Consulting stated that cross-border e-commerce has become a new engine for foreign trade development and a crucial tool for activating industrial momentum. Many regions are actively planning and implementing measures to better promote the upgrading of the cross-border e-commerce industry, thereby optimizing the foreign trade structure, cultivating new growth points, and unleashing the value of data.
From this round of measures, the entry points for local departments to promote the upgrading of the cross-border e-commerce industry differ. Among them, measures to provide clear support to specific enterprises in the industry, especially manufacturers and brand owners in the upstream of the cross-border e-commerce industrial chain, have attracted much attention. An associate professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics pointed out that manufacturers and brand owners play a crucial role in the upgrading of the cross-border e-commerce industry. They are the core carriers of policy implementation and industrial agglomeration, as well as the suppliers of export products and services, undertaking specific tasks such as technological innovation, product iteration, and service quality improvement. Providing them with clear support, such as increasing financial support and improving supporting services, is conducive to integrating local characteristic industrial resources and accelerating the “going global” of related products, services, and brands.
my country attaches great importance to the development of cross-border e-commerce. For example, since December 15, 2024, the “General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 167 of 2024 (Announcement on Further Promoting the Development of Cross-border E-commerce Exports)” has officially come into effect; in January 2025, the State Taxation Administration issued the “Announcement on Matters Concerning Export Tax Refunds (Exemptions) to Support the Development of Overseas Warehouses for Cross-border E-commerce Exports”; and in April 2025, the “Approval of the State Council on Agreeing to Establish Comprehensive Pilot Zones for Cross-border E-commerce in Hainan Island and 15 Cities (Regions) including Qinhuangdao” was publicly released.
Driven by policies, my country’s cross-border e-commerce has reached a considerable scale. Data released by the General Administration of Customs shows that, according to preliminary statistics, my country’s cross-border e-commerce imports and exports reached 2.75 trillion yuan in 2025, a 69.7% increase compared to 2020.
After years of development, my country’s cross-border e-commerce industry has entered a stage of high-quality development characterized by meticulous cultivation. On the one hand, with the continuous integration of cross-border e-commerce with manufacturing and industrial clusters, more and more enterprises are increasing their investment in cross-border e-commerce, constantly strengthening the connection between the production end and the international market, thereby effectively enhancing the market bargaining power of their products. On the other hand, compliance, branding, and service have become the main themes of the development of the cross-border e-commerce industry, posing new requirements for market supervision and risk control.
A professor at the National Institute for Opening-up Studies at the University of International Business and Economics believes that, in order to grasp the main theme of development and create a new situation in foreign trade, all parties can provide support in the following aspects: First, improve the supply of systems and the connection between implementation, and enhance the predictability and stability of policies. Industry players are highly sensitive to customs clearance efficiency, tax rules, and compliance boundaries. They need to accelerate the solidification and replication of rules within the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones to reduce institutional friction caused by differences in local policies. Secondly, they must continue to promote the digital transformation of industrial clusters and enhance the “going global” capabilities of manufacturers and brands, effectively improving product added value and supply stability. Thirdly, they must advance data collection, compliant use, and security management to prevent systemic risks arising from trade compliance, financial settlement, and changes in overseas market policies.
