"The government work report points out that 'it is necessary to expand high-level opening up to the outside world and actively stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment', and emphasizes the need to promote the development of cross-border e-commerce, improve the cross-border delivery logistics system, strengthen the construction of overseas warehouses, etc., which has pointed out the direction for completing the relevant work. I am greatly encouraged and have enhanced my confidence and strength to forge ahead on the new journey." said Hu Wei, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, in an interview on March 5.
Accelerating the development of new business forms of foreign trade is an important measure to implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important instructions and promote high-level opening up. The development of new business forms plays an important role in the growth of foreign trade. In recent years, all relevant parties have issued a series of policies to help the rapid development of new business forms of foreign trade. At the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the key node of the "15th Five-Year Plan", Hu Wei brought three proposals on cross-border e-commerce, overseas warehouse construction and market procurement trade at this year's Two Sessions.
Promoting the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce
In 2024, the import and export value of China's cross-border e-commerce was RMB 2.63 trillion, accounting for 5.9% of the total import and export value of China's trade in goods, with a year-on-year increase of 10.8%, 5.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of China's trade in goods during the same period. The potential of cross-border e-commerce in "selling globally" has been further unleashed, and the advantages of "buying globally" continue to be given full play.
Through a large number of investigations, Hu Wei found that there are still many weak links in the current development of cross-border e-commerce. For example, the relevant laws and regulations and regulatory provisions on cross-border e-commerce are not systematic enough; the positive list and personal transaction limits for cross-border e-commerce no longer adapt to the current development of the business form; and the supporting taxation and air transportation policy requirements do not adapt to the development of cross-border e-commerce.
In this regard, Hu Wei suggested that cross-border e-commerce regulations need to be improved. The existing scattered provisions are integrated, and the separate laws that adapt to the development characteristics are formulated in due course with reference to international trade rules. The relevant definitions, responsibilities and obligations of each participant and relevant management mechanisms are clarified, and a negative list for cross-border e-commerce retail exports is established, so as to achieve organic unity with the management system of cross-border e-commerce retail imports.
Then, the positive list is expanded and the personal transaction limit is increased. It is suggested to further expand the list of goods on the positive list, increase the personal transaction limit, expand the number of pilot cities for cross-border e-commerce retail imported drugs, increase the types of drugs, and carry out a feasibility study on "bonded online shopping + offline self-pickup".
"It is necessary to adjust relevant management requirements in a timely manner, study the suitability of preferential tax policies for different modes of cross-border e-commerce exports, further support enterprise-to-enterprise direct exports and overseas warehouse exports, and promote export expansion." Hu Wei added that it is necessary to optimize freight safety inspection standards, actively align with international rules on the basis of scientific risk assessment, meet the demand for domestic air transportation of consumer electronic products with batteries and liquid cosmetics, and further reduce enterprises' logistics costs.
Hu Wei believes that with the continuous updating of cross-border e-commerce forms, all relevant supporting policies should be continuously upgraded and relevant regulatory provisions should also be continuously improved. We should actively support the rapid and healthy development of new business forms of cross-border e-commerce import and export, so as to make them an important driving force for promoting the steady and quality improvement of China's foreign trade.
Strengthening the construction of overseas warehouses
"The overseas warehouse model for cross-border e-commerce exports is an innovative measure to improve the types of cross-border e-commerce exports and meet the consumption needs of the international market. As the 'last mile' of cross-border e-commerce B2B exports, overseas warehouses can help cross-border e-commerce sellers prepare goods in advance and make reasonable arrangements to shorten the delivery time of commodities to overseas end consumers." said Hu Wei.
In June 2024, in order to expand cross-border e-commerce exports and optimize the layout of overseas warehouses, 9 authorities including the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Opinions on Expanding Cross-Border E-Commerce Exports and Promoting the Construction of Overseas Warehouses, providing important support for enhancing the competitiveness of cross-border e-commerce enterprises and promoting the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce exports. In November of that year, GACC issued the Announcement on Further Promoting the Development of Cross-border E-commerce Exports to cancel the filing of overseas warehouse enterprises, further unleashing their potential and enhancing export vitality.
"At present, the development of export overseas warehouses still faces problems such as high operating costs and long export tax refund cycle." Hu Wei told the reporter.
He suggested that we should increase support for the construction of self-operated overseas warehouses and public overseas warehouses by Chinese enterprises, and give preferential policies to the construction and operation of overseas warehouses by Chinese enterprises in terms of finance and taxation; encourage Chinese enterprises to operate overseas warehouses and actively participate in international market competition, and give preferential treatment to Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers within the scope of rules and regulations; encourage Chinese enterprises to actively expand the markets in the Belt and Road partner countries, and leverage the construction of overseas warehouses to promote the expansion of cross-border e-commerce in the Belt and Road partner countries. Moreover, according to the implementation of the latest tax refund policy for overseas warehouse export, we should timely understand the needs of enterprises, and track, judge and improve the effect of policies.
Regulating market procurement trade
Small-scale and multi-variety small commodity LCL export is an important part of China's foreign trade orders. Market procurement trade, a new form of foreign trade, has made such export trade more convenient.
In 2014, China's first customs declaration form for market procurement trade was issued in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. As of 2024, a total of 39 market procurement trade pilot projects have been established across the country, and the new form of market procurement trade has become an important channel for the export of small commodities in China. In 2024, the export value of national market procurement trade was RMB 0.78 trillion, accounting for about 3.1% of China's total export value during the same period.
How to balance the development of national market procurement trade pilots and prevent the risk of false trade? Hu Wei said, "It is necessary to establish an evaluation and withdrawal mechanism for the pilot of market procurement trade, evaluate the results of the pilot in a timely manner, terminate the pilot of markets that do not meet the overall requirements of the pilot, have incomplete regulatory conditions, and have high risks of false trade and poor operation effects, and guide the healthy and orderly development of market procurement trade. Moreover, it is necessary to strengthen the quality control of market procurement trade data, study and formulate a working mechanism to crack down on false trade and prevent foreign trade from "flooding", standardize local government rewards and subsidies policies, clarify the main responsibilities of enterprises, intensify statistical supervision, and strengthen coordination with other supervision."
Hu Wei said that he will continue to perform his duties and responsibilities this year. Based on the field of foreign trade and economic cooperation, he will focus on promoting the construction and cooperation of Smart Customs, improving the level of customs clearance facilitation and promoting high-quality development and high-level security, give full play to his professional advantages, actively offer advice and suggestions, and devote himself to the bright future of Chinese modernization.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.