NPC deputy summons support for cross-border e-commerce growth in Quanzhou

Zeng Jingping, a deputy to the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, called for more support in boosting cross-border e-commerce development in Quanzhou.

Zeng made the remarks in her proposal to the ongoing national legislature meeting in Beijing.

More efforts should be made to boost the development of cross-border e-commerce in Quanzhou, which will help the city seek foreign trade growth and promote transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Zeng said.

Quanzhou, a coastal city in East China's Fujian province is a starting point of the ancient maritime silk road and a national logistics hub.

According to Zeng, Quanzhou's GDP recorded 846.8 billion yuan ($125.5 billion) in 2018, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.9 percent. Official data from local customs authorities show that the city's export volume last year stood at 119.26 billion yuan, with traditional labor-intensive products including textiles, clothing and furniture accounting for 66 percent of the total.

E-commerce has emerged as a pivotal approach for businesses in Quanzhou to expand markets overseas, Zeng noted. In 2018, Quanzhou was ranked among the top 20 cities in China in terms of cross-border e-commerce development. Statistics show that the city's trade value reached 18.2 billion yuan on cross-border e-commerce platforms in 2018, topping all the cities in Fujian province.

In a bid to seek further growth in the sector, Zeng called for more support for a Quanzhou cross-border e-commerce pilot zone and the national export facilitation innovation demonstration zone in Jinjang as well as for optimizing custom and logistics services in the city.