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"Since God created everything, he must live in China. Because everything is 'Made in China'." Behind this widely circulated anecdote abroad, we can see that with the support of more than 100 domestic industrial belts in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and other regions, "Made in China" products have burst out with a powerful overseas expansion force through the foreign trade method of cross-border e-commerce. As time goes by, cross-border e-commerce is still developing rapidly and is further empowering industrial belts across the country. China's cross-border urban belts seem to no longer be confined to South China. According to the list of the top 20 cities in terms of the number of Amazon sellers worldwide released by SmartScout, Chinese cities account for as much as 65% . Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Putian take the top three spots with over 100,000, 28,113 and 19,778 sellers respectively. At the same time, cities such as Dongguan, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Quanzhou, Jinhua, Taiyuan, Hefei, Foshan and Wuhan are also on the list. In addition to Shenzhen, which is still far ahead, Putian has entered the top three with a significant number of sellers. Inland cities such as Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Taiyuan on the list also seem to be gradually showing their potential for cross-border e-commerce... Faced with increasingly diverse city choices, practitioners who attempt to plan a new blueprint for cross-border e-commerce in 2025 are inevitably hesitant. However, in fact, the migration trend of cross-border e-commerce city belts has already been evident. China's cross-border e-commerce cannot do without Shenzhen, just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem. Recently, the foreign trade data released by Shenzhen Customs once again verified this point: in the first three quarters of 2024, Shenzhen's foreign trade imports and exports totaled 3.37 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.9 % , not only accounting for about 10% of the country's total imports and exports and 50% of the province's total imports and exports, but also the growth rate far exceeded the national average of 5.3% and Guangdong's 11.1%. Behind this impressive foreign trade data, it is inseparable from the promotion of the development of Shenzhen's cross-border e-commerce. Data shows that in the first half of 2024, Shenzhen's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports increased by 130% year-on-year. From the perspective of cross-border e-commerce entities , Shenzhen not only has the largest number of export enterprises in the country , but also has comparable quality. As of November 2024, Shenzhen has 12 listed cross-border e-commerce companies, ranking first in the country. More than a decade ago, a group of cross-border sellers who made fortunes by selling cheap products such as data cables and chargers were born in South China City No. 1 Trading Square. Among them, Savitech, Aoki Technology, Tongtuo Shares, and Youkeshu became famous and were called the "Four Young Masters of South China City". Times have changed. In 2024, except for Youkeshu, which is deeply mired in huge losses, and Tongtuo, which sold itself for the second time to save itself, Aoqi, which has been dormant for a period of time, has gone public, and Savi, which has successfully transformed, has also broken through the siege in various subcategories of Amazon with multiple brands. In addition to these old big-name brands, a group of new forces are also gradually emerging, such as UGREEN Technology, which rang the bell on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's Growth Enterprise Market in July 2024, and Qian'an Technology, which also specializes in consumer electronics and was listed on the New Third Board at the end of October this year. What attracted such a large number of cross-border enterprises to flock here is Shenzhen’s industrial ecology that is capable of competing with world-class giants. From the perspective of industrial foundation , Shenzhen and its surrounding areas gather a large number of manufacturing enterprises in the clothing, 3C electronics and home appliances industries , and are geographically close to Hong Kong and the port channel. Therefore, since its establishment, the Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone has fully utilized the Shenzhen-Hong Kong linkage mechanism, seaport ports and industrial agglomeration advantages, and its business volume is far ahead of the national cross-border e-commerce. From the perspective of industrial changes , Shenzhen's cross-border e-commerce has always been at the forefront of the country and has taken the lead in completing industrial upgrades. Nowadays, with the adjustment of the industrial structure, Shenzhen's main export products are gradually turning to the "new three things" and the "old three things". According to statistics, in the first three quarters of 2024, Shenzhen's "new three things" exports reached 71.43 billion yuan, an increase of 8.9%. An industry insider succinctly summarized this change: while other cities are chasing the trend, Shenzhen has quietly stood at the forefront of it . Of course, in addition to Shenzhen, cities such as Guangzhou and Dongguan are also backed by mature industrial belts and are also "outstanding cities" in the field of cross-border e-commerce. For example, Guangzhou, which has characteristic industrial belt clusters such as clothing supply chain, luggage and leather goods , has attracted a number of leading cross-border e-commerce platforms such as SHEIN and Temu to settle down; Dongguan, which covers a full range of manufacturing industries, also ranks among the top in the Amazon seller rankings... If Shenzhen is the "first cross-border capital", then Guangdong is truly the "first cross-border province". However, the rising rent and labor costs are becoming a pain for many small and medium-sized cross-border enterprises in Shenzhen. Data shows that despite the cooling of the overall rental market, the rent in Shenzhen continues to rise. As of the end of October 2024, the average rent in Shenzhen is 92.16 yuan/square meter/month, up 0.38% month-on-month. Faced with today's market environment of inward-looking prices and thinning profits, most sellers are trying to save themselves by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. In addition to layoffs and changing office space, some sellers have chosen to flee Shenzhen and move to other cities with lower costs. What is less known is that another low-key region on the same coast as Guangdong has also quietly set off a cross-border e-commerce boom. In cross-border e-commerce, a fertile ground for grassroots people to make a fortune, the Fujianese who believe that "only those who work hard can succeed" are indispensable. In 2024, against the backdrop of global economic fluctuations, Fujian's cross-border e-commerce export performance can be said to be stunning: customs data showed that in the first 10 months of 2024, the scale of Fujian's cross-border e-commerce export transactions reached 145.66 billion yuan , a year-on-year increase of 35.3%. At the same time, sellers from Putian, Xiamen and Quanzhou have also become the main force of cross-border e-commerce exports. In the Amazon global sellers city list, Putian, Xiamen and Quanzhou have entered the top 20 with 19,778, 9,445 and 8,212 sellers respectively. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, Fujian has built 23 cross-border e-commerce customs supervision sites and cultivated more than 9,000 cross-border e-commerce companies. E-commerce platforms such as Taobao Overseas, Shopee, Lazada and logistics centers such as JD.com, Cainiao, Zongteng, and Panding have all settled in Fujian. Some people wonder why Fujian cross-border e-commerce suddenly appeared in the industry's vision? One important reason is that the local area has industrial cluster advantages accumulated over decades . First, take Putian , known as the "Shoe Capital of China", as an example. Its cross-border e-commerce relies on industrial belts such as shoes and clothing, food, and crafts . It has formed characteristic cross-border e-commerce industrial clusters in Hanjiang District, Chengxiang District, Licheng District and other places, among which the scale of the shoes and clothing industry exceeds hundreds of billions of yuan. The second is Xiamen , the first pilot city of Fujian's comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone. Backed by multiple industrial clusters such as clothing, sanitary ware and fitness equipment, it has not only given birth to a number of world-class sports footwear and apparel brands such as Anta and Xtep, but also produced many cross-border e-commerce companies that have been listed or are striving to be listed. In addition, Quanzhou, which has nine trillion-yuan industrial clusters including textiles and clothing, footwear, food, and building materials , also provides solid industrial support for Fujian's cross-border e-commerce exports, and has attracted a number of cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and AliExpress to settle in. According to statistics, in the first 10 months of 2024, the cross-border e-commerce inspection center of Quanzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone verified a total of 11.1768 million pieces of export goods, a year-on-year increase of 518.87%. There are more than 1,500 types of export goods, of which shoes and clothing account for 78%. As of November 2024, Fujian has eight cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones approved by the State Council, including Xiamen, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Putian, basically achieving full coverage of the province. In fact, the rise of Fujian's cross-border e-commerce was actually destined to take root in the southeast coast, a Feng Shui treasure land with frequent foreign trade exchanges. If the industrial belt is compared to the "heart" of cross-border e-commerce, then the freight advantage is the "cardiovascular" of Fujian's cross-border e-commerce. According to reports, the time it takes for a pair of sports shoes produced in Fujian to be shipped from Xiamen to the Philippines by sea to be sold on a cross-border platform is controlled at about one week, which is inseparable from the first "Silk Road Shipping" cross-border e-commerce express line in China, which shortens the shipping time to 2 days. It is precisely because the development of Fujian's cross-border e-commerce is inseparable from the geographical advantage of the southeast coast that, compared with other regions, most of Fujian's overseas companies have occupied a place in the Southeast Asian market . Take Jihong Co., Ltd. as an example. As of the first three quarters of 2024, it has achieved operating income of 3.897 billion yuan, and its main business scope is the Southeast Asian market. In addition, it is also worth mentioning Fujian’s support policies to encourage the development of the “cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt” integration model. Take Putian, which ranks among the top three in terms of the number of Amazon sellers. According to the city's media, Putian is developing a "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt" model based on a key industrial chain, connecting with cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Temu, and expanding more products to overseas markets. As of September 2024, Putian's cross-border e-commerce exports accounted for 14.1% of the city's total foreign trade exports. With the advantages of industrial clusters, the geographical location of the southeast coast and the supporting logistics resources, Fujian's cross-border e-commerce has given birth to a number of cross-border sellers such as Jihong Holdings, Yangteng Innovation, and Baitu, which can be said to be "a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers". It is worth mentioning that in addition to coastal cities, cross-border e-commerce that breaks through spatial constraints is also supporting export trade for inland areas. With the rapid growth of the cross-border e-commerce market, inland areas have also gained a share of the pie. In the SmartScout's list of cities with the largest number of Amazon sellers worldwide, inland cities such as Zhengzhou and Chengdu made the list. Although the overall number of sellers is far less than that of Shenzhen, Putian and other places, their cross-border e-commerce growth potential is already obvious. The reason why these inland cities have become a rising force is inseparable from the promotion of the "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt" model . It is understood that the so-called "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt" refers to a model in which cross-border e-commerce empowers local advantageous industrial belts , promotes the export of characteristic products, thereby achieving industrial upgrading and transformation, and cultivating independent brands. This model is a typical scenario for the integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and can therefore break through spatial constraints and help accelerate the rise of the cross-border e-commerce industry in inland cities. Taking Henan as an example, cities with characteristic industrial belts such as Zhengzhou and Xuchang have sold their products around the world through cross-border e-commerce, and have cultivated a group of cross-border sellers that are not inferior to those in coastal cities. 1. Xuchang: power equipment, hair products, sanitary ware and other industrial belts. According to statistics, in the first nine months of 2024, the total import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce in Xuchang City reached 85.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14%, ranking second in the province. Among them, the import and export volume of hair products accounted for the majority. According to media reports, there are now more than 3,000 companies in Xuchang engaged in cross-border e-commerce of hair products, and their products are sold well in more than 40 countries and regions in North America, Europe and Africa, making it worthy of the title of "China's Wig Capital". This is the scale effect brought about by the integrated development model of "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt". 2. Zhengzhou: multiple advantageous industrial belts including electronic information, equipment manufacturing, clothing and home furnishings, etc. The results of the 2023 cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone assessment show that Zhengzhou has returned to the first tier and ranked among the top ten in the country. According to statistics, in 2023, the cross-border e-commerce transaction volume in Zhengzhou will reach 126.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.9%, and is expected to exceed 130 billion yuan in 2024. Data from the Commerce Bureau show that Zhengzhou currently has 32 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, and there are 11,000 cross-border e-commerce companies in the city. In terms of the digital transformation of the equipment manufacturing industry , the home furnishing industry represented by Zhiou Furniture and Mingyang Window Decorations will have a cross-border e-commerce export volume of more than 6 billion yuan in 2023. Among them, Zhiou Technology was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2023. In the first three quarters of 2024, Zhiou Technology achieved revenue of 5.728 billion yuan and a net profit of 278 million yuan. Of course, in addition to market players and policy support, the construction of cross-border e-commerce resources such as overseas warehouses and logistics transportation channels is also very important for inland urban industrial belts to go overseas. Taking Zhengzhou as an example, it is strengthening the promotion of overseas warehouse layout of enterprises. As of 2024, the total number of overseas warehouses in the city has reached 168, distributed in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other places. Overall, the development of China's cross-border e-commerce is inseparable from the right time, right place and right people - that is, the support of government planning and policies, industrial clusters across the country and the hard work of overseas companies , and therefore it also presents distinct regional characteristics. The South China region, represented by Shenzhen, is an important gathering place for cross-border e-commerce in my country. It has the largest number of enterprises and the highest level of activity. Backed by the consumer electronics industry belt, it has formed a characteristic industrial cluster enabled by technological innovation. Fujian, relying on its geographical location and industrial cluster advantages, has produced many cross-border sellers that rank at the top of the Southeast Asian market. At the same time, in an era driven by consumption and cost reduction and efficiency improvement, inland areas with lower labor costs and policy support are also taking over as development centers. Public information shows that as of November 2024, the State Council has approved the establishment of 165 cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones, covering 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. In the future, with the further development of policies, more cities may have stronger overseas expansion capabilities with the help of cross-border e-commerce, and the choices of cross-border enterprises will gradually become more diversified.
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