New action plan on e-commerce launched in Shanghai to benefit BRI countries

Beijing: “As a new business model, ‘Silk Road e-commerce’ provides global consumers with a wealth of goods and services with its convenient, efficient and low-cost features, and we would like to ride the wave of it to boost bilateral trade,” noted Aqeel Ahmed Chaudhry, director of the Pakistani national pavilion located in the Silk Road e-commerce cooperation pilot zone center, Pudong, Shanghai, China. In a move to promote the Silk Road e-commerce as a novel business model, the government of Pudong, Shanghai, officially released the “Action Plan for Advancing the Construction of the Silk Road E-commerce Cooperation Pilot Zone in Pudong New Area” on December 14th, China Economic Net (CEN) reported.

This initiative aims to leverage the convenience, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of Silk Road e-commerce to offer a diverse range of products and services to consumers all around the world. It is worth mentioning that the State Council has designated Shanghai as the pilot zone for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation on October 17, aiming at improving digital economic cooperation among countries along the Belt and Road

Initiative, deepening mechanism innovation, and strengthening international cooperation. According to the plan released last week, a comprehensive Silk Road e-commerce service system will be established by 2025. The focus will be on creating a high-quality Silk Road e-commerce cooperation pilot zone center, facilitating further trade cooperation among BRI countries through e-commerce. Additionally, more Silk Road e-commerce national pavilions will be unveiled, with over 20 national pavilions and commodity centers expected to be established by 2025. Living in China for more than a decade, Aqeel Ahmed Chaudhry expressed optimism about the opportunities this initiative will bring to Pakistani businesses and traders. He emphasized that the advantages of Silk Road e-commerce would be fully utilized to provide more development opportunities.