Cold climate meets "warm economy": cross-border e-commerce exports surge (with chart)

The picture shows customs officers supervising e-commerce export goods on site in the snow. Photographed by Guan Xiankuan

Recently, affected by the cold air, Yantai, Shandong Province, experienced its first snowfall. Despite the low temperature, the cross-border e-commerce supervision area in Yantai Free Trade Zone was bustling with activity.

"The sudden change in weather to colder temperatures has driven up the demand for warm clothing and cold-proof supplies. Most importantly, with the rise of domestic brands, more and more foreign consumers are trusting Chinese products, leading to a surge in the number of goods exported through cross-border e-commerce," said Hao Tian, customs manager for export business at Hangzhou Cainiao Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.

Li Jun, General Manager of Baoyuntong Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. in Yantai Free Trade Zone, is also busy to the point of being on his feet. While directing vehicles, he said, "In the past two weeks, we have been handling an average of 20 container trucks daily. The facility has entered a high-load operation state. We have promptly deployed loading and transportation workers and adjusted work schedules to ensure that seasonal cold-proof goods such as down jackets and thermal underwear can be delivered to consumers as soon as possible."

In addition to the increase in order volume caused by shopping promotions, the new customs clearance model has also helped enterprises continuously explore new international markets, going further and wider. 

Since entering December, the cross-border e-commerce supervision site in Yantai Free Trade Zone has completed 740,000 cross-border e-commerce exports, marking a year-on-year increase of 48%. Li Dahang, Deputy Director of the Yantai Customs Office in Zhifu, stated that they will continue to allocate supervision resources to the front line, introduce convenient measures such as "pre-confirmation of export lists" and "fast processing and release", provide timely feedback on international market trends, assist enterprises in expanding their international markets, and facilitate domestic e-commerce businesses to reach all corners of the world. (Guan Xiankuan, Kong Xiangxu/Text)