Belt, Road to strengthen e-commerce

Initiative brings consumers and traders closer

E-commerce powerhouses in China E-commerceare extremely powerhouses bullish in about China strengtheningare extremely bullish trade aboutties and strengthening invigorating trade economicties and activities invigoratingin economic economies activitiesalong the in Belt economiesand Road along Initiative, the Belt industryand Road observers Initiative, said. industryThey said observersthat as said. fast-growing They mobile said and that internetas fast-growing usage propels mobile consumerand internet spending,usage propelsan ever-wideningconsumer spending,array of an “Made ever-wideningin China” items array will of be “Madeat their in fingertips,China” items while will Chinesebe at their bring fingertips, home while worldwideChinese delicacies bring thankshome worldwideto frictionless delicacies online thanks transactionsto frictionless and fast online cross-border transactions deliveries. and fast Chinese cross-border phones deliveries.are gaining traction Chinese among phones buyersare gaining notably tractionin Eastern among Europe buyers and notably the Middlein EasternEast, with Europe Russia,and the Ukraine and IsraelMiddle East, with topping Russia, the Ukrainelist of generousand Israel spenders topping on the these list gadgets,of generous according spenders to on AliResearch,these gadgets,the research according arm to of Alibaba AliResearch, GroupHoldingthe research Ltd. arm Apartof Alibabafrom electronicGroup Holding devices, Ltd. fashion and jewelry, women’s Apart apparel from and electronicnail beauty devices, accessories fashionare the and latest jewelry, darling women’sof foreign apparel buyers, and said nail the beautyreport, accessorieswhich tracked are datathe latestfrom darling AliExpress,of foreign Alibaba’sbuyers, internationalsaid the report, marketplacewhich trackedthat has data served from more AliExpress,than 100 Alibaba’smillion overseas international shoppers. marketplace Bargain that huntershas servedin Russiamore thanhave pushed100 millionthe e-commerceoverseas shoppers.boom to new heights, with Chinese Bargain products hunters in includingRussia have phones, pushed clothingthe e-commerceand other boom consumerto new electronics heights, beingwith Chinesethe most productspopular items. including phones,The cyber clothingSilk Road,and other which consumereffectively links electronics smaller being merchants the most popular items.

The cyber Silk Road, which effectively links smaller merchants with with individual individual customers, customers, is is fueling fueling new new momentum momentum to to thethe Belt Belt and and Road Road Initiative Initiative by by promoting promoting inclusive inclusive tradetrade and and access access to to logistics logistics and and financial financial services services once once reserved reserved mainly mainly for for multinationals, multinationals, said said Gao Gao Hongbing, Hongbing, Alibaba’s Alibaba’s vice-president. vice-president.

“This “This relativelyrelatively newnew and and frictionless frictionless method method ofof conducting conducting business on the business on the digitaldigital platform platform can can enable enable more more businesses businesses and and entrepreneurs entrepreneurs to to participate participate in in global global trade trade and reap and reap the the benefits benefits of globalization,”of globalization,” Gao Gao said. said.

Meanwhile, Meanwhile, businesses businesses along along the the BeltBelt andand Road Road routes routes have have found found early early successsuccess via via onlineonline channelschannels as as Chinese Chinese purchasingpurchasing power power explodes. explodes. For For instance, instance, nearly nearly 280,000 280,000 latex latex pillows pillows from from Thailand Thailand were were sold sold last last yearyear via via TmallTmall Global, Global, a a site site sourcing sourcing imported imported goods goods to to Chinese Chinese customers.customers.

Likewise, Likewise, thousands thousands of of brands brands have have establishedestablished a a prominent prominent presence presence and reapedand reaped huge huge gains gainsas Chineseas Chinese customers customers snap snapup instantup instant coffee and coffee tea and bags tea from bags Malaysia,from carpets Malaysia, from carpets India from and India date palmsand date from palms the from United the United Arab Emirates.Arab Emirates.

The The cross-border cross-border marketplacemarketplace on on JD.com JD.com Inc, Inc, the nation’sthe nation’s second-largest second-largest e-commercee-commerce player,player, coverscovers 7070 countries countries and and regions regions and and is is poised poised to to partner partner with with more more Asian Asian and and Central Central European European vendors, vendors, said said Qi Qi Ting, Ting, general-manager general-manager of of JD JD Worldwide.Worldwide. Leveraging the China-Europe Leveragingrail network,the China-Europea crucial part of rail the network, initiative,a JD crucial has part halvedof the the time initiative,to transportJD has halvedauto suppliesthe time fromto transport Germany autoto southwesternsupplies from China Germany compared to southwesternwith sea China routes, compared with sea she said. routes, she said.

“The “The internet internetis theis the key feature key featureof the of Beltthe and Belt Roadand RoadInitiative Initiativein the in 21st the century,21st century,and cooperationand cooperationin internet-relatedin internetrelated services servicesalong the along routes the propels routes innovationpropels innovationand industrial and upgrading,”industrial upgrading,”said Wang Yiwei,said Wang director Yiwei,of the directorInstitute of of Internationalthe Institute Affairsof Internationalat Renmin University of China Affairs at Renmin in UniversityBeijing. of China in Beijing.