Participants contribute to an online meeting about cross-border e-commerce development in Jilin province. [Photo provided to gojilin.gov.cn]

An online meeting was convened on July 12 in Changchun city – capital of Northeast China's Jilin province – themed on cross-border e-commerce development in the region, according to local media reports.

The conference was hosted by the Jilin Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Business Industry Committee.

It aimed to support the development of new foreign trade formats in Jilin province, help businesses to explore international markets, vigorously develop cross-border e-commerce and encourage companies to expand their online transactions.

The event attracted more than 700 participants, including cross-border e-commerce enterprises, export-oriented enterprises and financial institutions in Jilin province. They were joined by representatives of cross-border e-commerce companies outside the province, as well as representatives of well-known companies such as OPPO and China Minsheng Bank.

A graph, showing the development trend of cross-border e-commerce, is analyzed during the online meeting. [Photo provided to gojilin.gov.cn]

According to Jilin officials, in recent years cross-border e-commerce in the province has continued to grow rapidly. New foreign trade formats are continuing to inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the province's economy.

Moreover, cross-border e-commerce is said to be fast becoming an important force for stabilizing foreign trade and growth during the COVID-19 epidemic period.

Jilin-based enterprises are being encouraged to make full use of the local stimulatory policies to develop new foreign trade formats and models – such as cross-border e-commerce – and to expand their overseas warehouses.

That’s in order to face the challenges posed by such problems as Chinese companies unable to participate in overseas exhibitions because of COVID-19, the obstruction of traditional trading channels and the prolonged overseas epidemic situation.

Moving forwards, the Jilin Council for the Promotion of International Trade will focus on Jilin's competitive industries, enterprises and high-quality products, promote the development of new foreign trade formats and models and help foreign trading companies to expand their markets.