(Yicai) March 13 -- Guangdong, the Chinese province with the largest economy, is rolling out a series of new policies to streamline cross-border e-commerce procedures, improve customs clearance efficiency, and lower operating and logistics costs for businesses in order to accelerate sector growth.

Cross-border e-commerce companies will no longer be required to register their overseas warehouse businesses, export documentation procedures will be simplified, a ‘check first, ship later’ inspection model for consolidated export shipments will be introduced and cross-customs returns will be facilitated, according to the local government, which released the policies at the cross-border e-commerce conference yesterday.

Nearly one third of products on Alibaba’s 1688 platform and Russian e-retailer Ozon come from Guangdong province, Fan Ming, general manager of public affairs at 1688, and Simon Huang, China president of Moscow-based Ozon, both said at the conference.

While cross-border e-commerce has grown rapidly in recent years, many countries in the US and Europe have tightened their policies since the Chinese New Year holiday in February, said Liu Feina, executive president and secretary-general of the Guangdong E-Commerce Association. This is a process that Chinese companies must go through when facing global competition, and industry associations are actively guiding merchants and logistics firms to strengthen their awareness of compliance, she added.

Companies should focus on localized brand-building and marketing strategies, including product management, operations and after-sales services, said Wang Haicheng, general manager of Shenzhen PostPony Supply Chain Management. He also stressed the importance of understanding local laws, regulations and cultural norms when expanding overseas.

Over the past two years, Chinese vendors on Ozon have surged nearly 10-fold, with sales exceeding CNY10 billion (USD1.3 billion), Huang said. Last year, the repurchase rate for Chinese goods in the Commonwealth of Independent States market more than tripled.

In 2024, Guangdong’s cross-border e-commerce transactions reached CNY745.4 billion (USD103 billion), accounting for over one-third of the national total. Global giants such as Amazon, Shein and Alibaba International have set up regional headquarters in Guangdong, and the province is home to 15 cross-border e-commerce firms listed on the stock market, including Sailvan Times and Edayun.

Editor: Kim Taylor