Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area opens in Lianyungang

On 25 August 2020, the opening ceremony of the Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area was held in Lianyungang.

The event was attended by a delegation of the SCO Secretariat led by SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sherali Saidamir Jonon and representatives of the SCO countries' diplomatic missions.

The SCO Deputy Secretary-General congratulated the Lianyungang residents and authorities on the opening of the centre. He added that the city was making a notable contribution to the development of e-commerce and trade between the SCO countries and the ASEAN economies.

"It is with a reason that the pilot area, where the products of the other SCO countries will be traded later, is located in Lianyungang, which is noted for its rapid socioeconomic development. Thanks to its unique geographical and strategic advantages, the city has become a key link in eastern China in the implementation of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road strategic initiative," Sherali Jonon pointed out.

He added that the SCO Secretariat was ready to provide every possible assistance in this sphere. "I have no doubt that by joining forces we will be able to achieve unparalleled success and to implement all our goals and tasks," the SCO Deputy Secretary-General said in conclusion.

Yang Xinzhong, Secretary of the Lianyungang District Party Committee, remarked that the district had been "lately focused on quality development, taking advantage of the possibilities offered by the Internet+ format to stimulate the further development of the emerging cross-border e-commerce with a view to creating a regional industrial cluster of cross-border e-commerce."

The Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area in Lianyungang currently offers products from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. It was noted during the opening ceremony that all the SCO countries and any other interested party can present their produce at the Lianyungang centre of e-commerce.

The centre is located in the central part of the Lianyungang Pilot Free Trade Zone. As much as 20 million yuan has been invested in the 6,000 sq m venue, which comprises an exhibition space and trading platforms with customs and demonstration areas offering customs clearance and information services. The centre also has mini-studios with equipment for the online streaming of advertisements of the goods traded through it.