海关总署：上半年我国跨境电商进出口1.22万亿元 同比增长10.5%

This article summarizes the latest cross-border e-commerce development data and regulatory policies released by China's General Administration of Customs (GAC). Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Industry growth: According to Chinese customs statistics, China's total cross-border e-commerce import and export volume in 2023 was 2.2 times that of 2018 (a 120% increase from 2018). In the first half of 2024, the sector reached 1.22 trillion yuan in total import and export, up 10.5% year-on-year, sustaining a strong overall growth momentum.

2. Consumer protection: Currently, GAC processes over 7 billion cross-border e-commerce and express parcels annually, averaging around 20 million parcels per day. It has developed a dedicated customs clearance system for cross-border e-commerce to boost efficiency, while running targeted campaigns for import product quality monitoring and contraband interdiction to effectively ensure the quality and safety of cross-border purchases and block illegal goods from entering the country.

3. Future experience improvements: GAC will further simplify customs clearance procedures, promote new export regulatory models, and expand the pilot program for cross-border retail export returns. These changes will deliver a smoother cross-border shopping experience for consumers.

This press conference released industry data and policy updates, with the following key takeaways for brands planning cross-border expansion:

1. Industry trend outlook: China's cross-border e-commerce sector maintains double-digit 10.5% year-on-year growth, with continuously expanding market size. Both the import consumer market and the brand globalization track offer ample room for growth, and the overall macro environment for cross-border e-commerce布局remains favorable.

2. Maturing policy support framework: China has rolled out a series of supporting policies, including establishing cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones, expanding the positive list for retail imports, and innovating customs clearance regulation. Steadily improving clearance efficiency effectively reduces logistics and compliance costs for brands running cross-border operations.

3. Upcoming policy dividends and competitive advantages: GAC will promote the "inspection before shipment" model for exports and expand the cross-boundary return pilot program, which will resolve the long-standing pain point of returns for brands going global and cut operational costs. Meanwhile, strict quality regulation filters out non-compliant products, helping legitimate brands build consumer trust and strengthen their competitive edge.

For cross-border e-commerce sellers, here are the core takeaways from the newly released policy and industry updates:

1. Clear growth opportunities: In the first half of this year, China's cross-border e-commerce import and export grew 10.5% year-on-year, and the overall sector has more than doubled in size since 2018. It remains on a fast growth track with plenty of untapped market opportunities.

2. Favorable current policy environment: The Chinese government has introduced a series of policies to support cross-border e-commerce development. GAC has built a mature digital customs clearance system that has significantly improved clearance efficiency and effectively reduced operating costs for compliant sellers.

3. Upcoming policy benefits: GAC will study and roll out the "inspection before shipment" model for cross-border e-commerce exports, and expand the scope of the cross-boundary return pilot for cross-border retail exports. These two policies will respectively shorten export shipment processing times and resolve the long-standing pain point of difficult export returns for sellers, effectively cutting sellers' operational costs and risks.

4. Risk reminder: GAC will continue product quality monitoring and contraband enforcement campaigns. Sellers must maintain compliant operations to avoid operational risks stemming from violations.

For manufacturing factories looking to expand into cross-border business, here are the key opportunities and insights from this update:

1. Ample market growth opportunities: China's cross-border e-commerce has achieved years of consecutive high-speed growth: the 2023 sector size was 2.2 times that of 2018, and it still posted 10.5% year-on-year growth in the first half of this year. Overall market demand continues expanding, so factories entering cross-border e-commerce—whether to launch their own brands globally or meet domestic import demand—face substantial market space.

2. Continually lowering policy barriers: From establishing cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones to ongoing innovation in customs clearance regulation, the government has rolled out a series of sustained policies to support cross-border e-commerce development. Upcoming policies including the "inspection before shipment" export model and expanded return pilot will further lower logistics barriers for factories doing cross-border exports, reducing friction for factories to enter cross-border e-commerce and reach global and domestic consumers directly.

3. Insights for digital transformation: Cross-border e-commerce regulation has already fully digitized, with greatly improved clearance efficiency. Factories that accelerate their own digital transformation and connect to GAC's digital clearance system can effectively improve their operational efficiency and better capture the growth dividends of cross-border e-commerce.

For cross-border e-commerce service providers, here are the key takeaways from the newly released industry information:

1. Clear industry growth trajectory: China's cross-border e-commerce maintains sustained high-speed growth. GAC currently processes over 7 billion cross-border e-commerce-related parcels annually, close to 20 million per day. The overall market is continuously expanding, creating substantial room for business growth for all types of cross-border service providers.

2. Clear core market pain points: Merchants and consumers have growing demand for higher clearance efficiency and more convenient returns. The industry still faces widespread pain points including long export shipment processing times, difficult export returns, and complicated clearance procedures, alongside rising demand for product quality compliance.

3. Guidance for business development: GAC has already built a digital customs clearance system and will continue optimizing clearance and return services. Service providers can align with GAC's policy direction, develop supporting solutions targeting pain points in export clearance, export returns and quality compliance, capture market growth opportunities, and expand their business scope.

For cross-border e-commerce platforms, here are the core takeaways from the newly released policy and industry updates:

1. Clear industry growth dividends: China's cross-border e-commerce still maintains double-digit 10.5% annual growth, with a continuously expanding overall market. Combined with the series of sustained supporting policies from the government and a constantly improving regulatory system, platforms have ample room for merchant recruitment and growth, and will find it easier to attract brands and sellers to onboard.

2. Clear merchant and consumer demand: Merchants have explicit demand for more convenient export clearance and smoother return processes, while consumers have increasingly high requirements for shopping experience smoothness and product quality safety. Platforms can align with GAC's latest regulatory system and policy direction, optimize their own service systems for clearance, returns and compliance management, and improve their overall competitiveness.

3. Compliance guidance: GAC will continue strengthening product quality monitoring and contraband control. Platforms should proactively improve their own compliance management systems, layout compliance frameworks in advance, mitigate compliance risks, and ensure stable platform operations.

For cross-border e-commerce industry researchers, here is the valuable industry and policy information disclosed:

1. Latest industry development trends: China's cross-border e-commerce has achieved years of consecutive high-speed growth. The 2023 overall sector size was 2.2 times that of 2018, and it still posted 10.5% year-on-year growth in the first half of this year. GAC currently processes more than 7 billion cross-border e-commerce-related parcels annually. The industry has reached a substantial scale and remains one of the core driving forces for China's foreign trade growth.

2. Outstanding institutional innovation achievements: China Customs has developed a mature and complete regulatory framework for cross-border e-commerce, and led the drafting of the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce. China's statistical methods and quality control practices have been included in relevant international standards and case libraries. China Customs' regulatory innovation has become a recognized Chinese experience for global cross-border e-commerce regulation, and its institutional innovation achievements have gained international recognition.

3. Future policy research directions: China Customs will further improve the regulatory system, promote the new "inspection before shipment" export model, and expand the cross-boundary return pilot program to further reduce institutional barriers for industry development. Researchers can track the implementation effects of these new policies and study their role in driving the development of the cross-border e-commerce industry.