Cross-Border E-commerce Emerges as New Engine for "Belt and Road" Trade – The 2023 ICEIE Opens!
This year marks the tenth anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Capitalizing on this momentum, the 2023 China (Xiamen) International Cross-Border E-commerce Expo (ICEIE) was held from June 15 to 17.
The exhibition hall was bustling with continuous streams of visitors. The Kazakhstan Pavilion, Japan Trade Pavilion, BRICS Countries Featured Products Zone, and nearly 20 themed zones hosted by foreign consulates and economic agencies in China, including those from the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, showcased a dazzling array of distinctive products from Belt and Road countries, attracting visitors for purchases and trade negotiations.
Under the theme "Cross-Border Connectivity, Goods to the World," the expo spanned over 60,000 square meters with more than 2,000 booths. It featured three main thematic zones: Cross-Border Product Selection, Cross-Border Platforms & Integrated Service Providers, and Cross-Border Import. The exhibition covered the entire cross-border e-commerce industry chain, with vibrant displays from over 50 specialized industrial belts and more than 2,000 high-quality suppliers. The event's high standards and strong participation underscored cross-border e-commerce's role as a key growth driver for foreign trade, establishing it as a new engine for Belt and Road trade.
The distinctive products and investment opportunities presented in the Kazakhstan Pavilion epitomized the event's "international" character. In an interview, Ms. Ke Biru, President of CCPIT Xiamen and the organizing body, stated, "This year's expo builds on its distinctive features, emphasizing 'internationalization.' It includes pavilions such as the Japan Trade Pavilion, Macao Pavilion, and Canada Pavilion, offering rich international elements. This facilitates the entry of high-quality foreign goods into the Chinese market, allowing them direct access to Chinese buyers through the ICEIE platform and promoting the circulation of domestic and international trade."
Notably, the previously named "Charming Japan Pavilion" was upgraded this year to the "Japan Trade Pavilion." The hall, adorned with cherry blossoms, highlighted Japanese style and displayed Japanese daily chemicals, snacks, and beverages. This upgrade also signified enhanced cooperation, with new supporting units this year including the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. Renowned enterprises like Panasonic Group and Toyota Tsusho will present new Sino-Japanese business opportunities.
Concurrently, the specially established "BRICS Countries Featured Products Display Zone" leveraged Xiamen's role as a "BRICS base" to advance practical "BRICS+" cooperation.
Focusing on "Buy Global, Sell Global," this year's expo dedicated efforts to building a robust ecosystem integrating "Industrial Belts," "Platforms," and "Service Providers." ICEIE provides a stage for domestic cross-border e-commerce sellers to expand their businesses and for buyers to select products, offering a powerful tool for foreign trade growth.
At the booth of Xiamen Xingrongsheng Industrial & Trading Co., Ltd., various suitcases and bags were displayed. The company's luggage products are exported to North America, Europe, and Belt and Road countries like Iran. Xu Chengxian, the company's business supervisor, told reporters, "The ICEIE platform is excellent. Last year, we connected with over 60 overseas buyers at the expo, many of whom placed orders and became repeat customers. That's why we are exhibiting again this year."
Beyond curated products, the expo also offered one-stop access to comprehensive cross-border services. From finance and payment to warehousing and logistics, and from marketing and intellectual property to design and training, a diverse range of cross-border e-commerce service providers flourished, safeguarding the global expansion of "Made in China."
Through three years of upgraded development, ICEIE has enabled a growing number of exhibitors to connect with specialized industrial belts across China and link with promising new markets worldwide. This demonstrates how cross-border e-commerce is gradually becoming a new engine for international trade within the Belt and Road framework, with ICEIE injecting fresh momentum for countries along the route to share in the dividends of the digital economy.
