The impressive development of cross-border e-commerce in northwest China's 
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has left a lasting impression on journalists from 
international media outlets during a coverage tour this week.

Some 16 reporters from five countries including Russia, the Republic of Korea 
and Cuba visited an experimental zone of cross-border e-commerce business in 
Yinchuan, capital city of Ningxia, to deepen their understanding of the 
business sector.

For Maryna Belkova, a reporter for the Russian magazine "China and Russia" who 
has studied and lived in China for several years, this was her first visit to 
Ningxia. Proficient in Chinese, the journalist was keen to know the details of 
products, marketing strategies, inventory management and market coverage from 
the entrepreneurs operating in the experimental zone.

"I think cross-border e-commerce platforms are very important as they help 
introduce products from Ningxia and all of China to the rest of the world and 
facilitate foreign enterprises in finding business opportunities in China," she 
said.

Belkova noted that cross-border e-commerce has emerged as a highly promising 
sector for a growing number of Russian enterprises seeking cooperation with 
Chinese counterparts, as the two countries continue to deepen their ties.

"Developing cross-border e-commerce has a significant meaning for both of our 
countries in promoting industrial activities in all fields and stimulating 
economic growth," she said after visiting the experimental zone located near 
the Yinchuan international airport.

Isaura Diez Millan, a journalist from the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, 
expressed admiration for the role played by e-commerce in promoting Ningxia's 
famous products like goji berries and wines in international markets and 
helping link the landlocked city with the rest of the world.

She noted that a Cuban-Chinese e-commerce platform, Dofimall, was formally 
launched in the Cuban capital Havana on Dec. 8, which aims to become the 
biggest virtual supply chain between the two countries.

Dofimall will be selling Chinese products including equipment and machinery for 
industrial and agricultural uses, automobiles, metal hardware, furniture, 
textile goods and leatherware.

"Cross-border e-commerce offers new opportunities for developing exchanges and 
cooperation between China and Cuba as well as China and Latin America. I am 
expecting to see my family and friends enjoy wines from Ningxia sold on this 
platform," she said.

As a major logistics center in northwest China, Yinchuan has in recent years 
been promoting cross-border e-commerce with the construction of a comprehensive 
bonded area and a comprehensive cross-border e-commerce experimental zone with 
national standards.

Measures are being implemented in the city to seize opportunities for 
international economic cooperation and trade. These efforts aim to elevate the 
city's performance in international economic interactions and bring about a 
substantial shift in overseas trade practices.

The city has so far seen the registration of 483 cross-border e-commerce market 
entities which are selling products to 81 countries and regions in the world, 
with an annual transaction volume of 6.3 billion yuan (about 886 million U.S. 
dollars).

With e-commerce playing an increasingly important role, Yinchuan's foreign 
trade volume increased by 14.9 percent in the first 10 months this year 
compared with the same period last year.

"Taking advantage of the new opportunities brought about by cross-border 
e-commerce, many traditional companies engaged in foreign trade are undergoing 
a transformation and upgrading process by making full use of the internet to 
explore the international market," said Liu Zhiyong, head of the municipal 
commerce bureau of Yinchuan.

Liu noted that the role played by cross-border e-commerce in promoting 
high-quality development of international trade has become more important in 
recent years.

Source: Yinchuan Municipal Commerce Bureau