On April 11, the Suzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Development Conference and the Citywide Cross-Border E-Commerce Work Promotion Meeting were held. The goal was to implement the decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council regarding cross-border e-commerce development, seize opportunities, promote the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade, and push "Suzhou Manufacturing" to sail globally. The meeting aims to build Suzhou into a strong city in cross-border e-commerce. The Party Secretary of Suzhou, Liu Xiaotao, attended and delivered a speech. The Director of Nanjing Customs, Xin Jianmin, was present. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor Wu Qingwen.
At the meeting, the Three-Year Action Plan for the High-Quality Development of the China (Suzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone (2024–2026) was released. Suzhou introduced 17 measures, aiming to double the cross-border e-commerce import and export volume annually and striving to build itself into a cross-border e-commerce powerhouse with a large industrial scale, strong innovation capabilities, comprehensive infrastructure, a favorable development ecosystem, and high levels of international cooperation and exchanges.
To promote the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce, Suzhou is continuously increasing its efforts to cultivate platform enterprises and high-quality projects. At the event, the Municipal Bureau of Commerce signed strategic cooperation agreements with Alibaba International, AliExpress, Focus Technology, and the PingPong Group. Six key platform projects were signed, including JD International Cross-Border Trade Platform, Cainiao International Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform, Focus Technology's Southern Jiangsu Regional Headquarters, Haizhi Online Supply Chain, and the PingPong Group's Suzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Ecosystem Service Cooperation. In addition, six key industrial park projects were signed, such as the China-Singapore Cross-Border E-Commerce Specialty Industry Innovation Park, Vansum New Retail Industry Park, Cross-Border Digital Health E-Commerce Ecosystem Park, AliExpress (Xiangcheng) Cross-Border E-Commerce Industry Park, Yigao (Suzhou) Digital Trade Industry Park, and Suzhou High-Tech Zone Cross-Border E-Commerce Demonstration Industry Park. Furthermore, six trade entity projects, including Sanshi Sanke Cross-Border E-Commerce Pavilion, and 13 ecosystem service projects, including the Hutan Digital Global Incubation Center, were also signed.
At the conference, outstanding representatives from Guangzhou and Shenzhen's cross-border e-commerce sectors, such as Saiwei Era Technology, Baomi Technology, Galaxy Industrial Group, the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association, and the Guangzhou Bureau of Commerce, along with local Suzhou companies like Dajian Cloud Warehouse, Changshu Tongrun Auto Parts, and Suzhou Hua Wuque, shared their cutting-edge industry insights. Representatives from the China (Suzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Office, the Suzhou Tax Bureau, Suzhou Customs, Changshu City, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou High-Tech Zone, Suzhou Port and Shipping Group, and Ecovacs Group also delivered speeches.
In his remarks, Liu Xiaotao pointed out that cross-border e-commerce is the fastest-growing and most promising new form of foreign trade, and it has become an important engine for high-quality foreign trade development and the creation of new productive forces. Suzhou has designated this year as the "Leap Year for Cross-Border E-Commerce" to build a strong cross-border e-commerce city, making Suzhou not only a manufacturing base but also a trade center. He emphasized the need to cultivate high-level entities, focusing on attracting major platforms and large sellers, and continuously optimizing the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem. It is essential to explore high-growth spaces by expanding new product categories, developing new business models, and opening up new markets, while actively seeking new growth points for cross-border e-commerce. He also stressed the importance of providing high-level services, strengthening the mechanisms for talent, finance, logistics, and technology support, and offering comprehensive services throughout the entire lifecycle, to ensure that Suzhou’s cross-border e-commerce stays ahead at both the provincial and national levels. Liu Xiaotao expressed that a more open Suzhou will provide infinite possibilities by closely linking the "world’s factory" with the "world’s market." He hopes to join hands in riding the wave of cross-border e-commerce and better integrate into the global digital and economic trends, working together for a brighter future.
In his address, Wu Qingwen emphasized that departments at all levels must take cross-border e-commerce seriously from the perspective of Suzhou’s high-quality development, improve and enhance the citywide coordinated development system, adhere to the goals and tasks laid out in the Three-Year Action Plan, refine policies, and actively attract significant platform projects and leading enterprises. Moreover, they should help businesses overcome challenges related to policies, funding, talent, and logistics, guide companies in collective overseas expansion, and secure orders, thus accelerating the construction of an ecosystem that supports cross-border e-commerce.
Representatives from government departments in advanced cross-border e-commerce regions nationwide, relevant industry organizations, and enterprises attended the event. Zhou Xiaoyang, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Commerce, Huang Yong, Deputy Director of Nanjing Customs, Cheng Minghong, Deputy Director of the Provincial Tax Bureau, Bao Jiabi, Deputy Director of the Provincial Postal Administration, city leaders Wang Yang, Tang Xiaodong, and Zhou Wei, as well as officials from county-level cities (districts) and relevant municipal departments and units, also participated.
