Press Release for Media Briefing of the Shanghai Municipal Government on July 20, 2023

2023.07.21

On
the afternoon of today (July 20), the Information Office of Shanghai
Municipality held the eighth media briefing on the series “Creating a First-class Business Environment and Serving to
Build a New Development Pattern.” The theme of this press briefing was
“Stabilizing Foreign Trade, Improving Business Environment, and Promoting the
High-quality Development of Cross-border E-commerce and Convention and
Exhibition Economy.” Shen Weihua, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal
Commission of Commerce, introduced the details of the Shanghai Municipal Action
Plan for Promoting the High-quality Development of Cross-border E-commerce
(2023-2025) and the Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting the
High-quality Development of the Convention and Exhibition Economy and Building
an International Convention and Exhibition City (2023-2025). Zhang Guohua,
deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Cheng
Meihong, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture
and Tourism, Lu Shichun, chief economic planner of the Shanghai Municipal Tax
Service, Ye Jian, deputy director of Shanghai Customs, and Shi Liya, director
of the cross-border RMB business department of the Shanghai Headquarters of the
People’s Bank of China attended the press briefing and answered questions from
reporters.

Accelerating
the development of cross-border e-commerce and convention and exhibition
economy aims to cultivate new momentum in business sectors and expand
high-quality development avenues. Additionally, it is an important task that
strengthens the global resource allocation function and enhances the prowess
and impact of the Shanghai International Trade Center. Shanghai is one of the
pioneering port cities to initiate cross-border e-commerce pilot programs.
Leveraging the advantages of a national-level cross-border e-commerce
comprehensive pilot zone, the city’s cross-border e-commerce has experienced
rapid growth, transforming from a scale of tens of billions to hundreds of
billions. Notably, from January to June of this year, the import and export of
cross-border e-commerce reached 141.96 billion yuan, marking an impressive
year-on-year increase of 84.0%. The accelerated development of international
cross-border e-commerce platforms, local e-commerce platforms, and self-built
websites has been facilitated by a complete range of professional service
systems, including logistics, payment, and cross-border e-commerce operations. More
than 138 overseas warehouses, occupying an impressive 1.79 million square
meters of construction area, have been established by Shanghai-based
enterprises. Shanghai also holds a prominent position as one of the world’s
major convention and exhibition cities. It consistently leads the country in
terms of the number of exhibitions held and exhibition areas, ranking among the
top globally. This year, the city’s convention and exhibition economy has
demonstrated comprehensive recovery and rapid growth, spurred on by support
policies issued by the municipal and district governments. Notably, in the
first half of the year, the city’s main exhibition halls hosted a total of 169
diverse exhibitions and activities, covering an expansive area of 7.5889
million square meters, with the exhibition area recovering to more than 80% of
its 2019 levels. To further harness the potential of cross-border e-commerce in
innovatively driving foreign trade development and elevate the global influence
and international competitiveness of Shanghai’s exhibition economy, the Shanghai
Municipal Commission of Commerce has drafted the Shanghai Municipal Action Plan
for Promoting the High-quality Development of Cross-border E-commerce
(2023-2025) and the Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting the
High-quality Development of the Convention and Exhibition Economy and Building
an International Convention and Exhibition City (2023-2025).

1.
The contents of the Shanghai Municipal Action Plan for Promoting the
High-quality Development of Cross-border E-commerce (2023-2025)

This cross-border e-commerce action plan
outlines 18 key tasks across five crucial aspects.

The first aspect focuses on strengthening
the main entities and fostering original brands. This includes accelerating the
aggregation of cross-border e-commerce entities, continuing the development of
cross-border e-commerce demonstration parks, and implementing the “Excellent
Products Going Overseas” Action Plan. The plan expressly encourages leading
cross-border e-commerce companies to establish headquarters. Moreover,
high-quality cross-border e-commerce enterprises will receive preferential
treatment as key foreign trade entities in Shanghai, benefiting from
streamlined customs clearance, taxation, foreign exchange facilitation, as well
as credit insurance premium support. Leading cross-border e-commerce
enterprises will be supported in registering overseas trademarks and applying
for overseas patents. Furthermore, cross-border e-commerce platforms will be
incentivized to offer quick entry approval and traffic support to traditional
foreign trade companies.

The second aspect centers on supporting
innovative models to foster new growth drivers. This involves promoting the
large-scale development of exports and upgrading consumption of imported
products. To achieve this, professional supporting services and the efficiency
of cross-border e-commerce logistics will be strengthened. The plan includes
promoting cross-border e-commerce postal routes and investing in software and
hardware for cross-border e-commerce supervision sites in compliance with
regulations. There will be a pilot plan for cross-border e-commerce imports of
pharmaceuticals and medical devices for retail purposes. Efforts will be made
to cultivate cross-border e-commerce professional service enterprises, such as
website operations, software development, international logistics, and
cross-border settlement. The plan supports the transport of export goods and
re-export goods in one container and encourages cross-border e-commerce
companies to collaborate with China Railway Express. Additionally, a
cross-border e-commerce logistics matching service platform covering seaports
and airports will be established.

The third aspect emphasizes technology empowerment
and promoting the construction of overseas warehouses. This involves supporting
multiple entities in jointly building and sharing overseas warehouses,
establishing a comprehensive service platform for overseas warehouses, and
guiding enterprises to optimize their overseas warehouse layouts. The plan
prioritizes supporting intelligent, diversified, and locally-operated overseas
warehouses. It encourages small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises to
collectively rent overseas warehouses and explores leveraging blockchain, big
data, and other technologies to provide support services on export settlement and
tax rebates for overseas warehouse. The plan also envisions the creation of a
number of overseas demonstration centers, distribution centers, wholesale
markets, and retail networks.

The fourth
aspect centers on optimizing regulatory services and creating a more favorable
business environment. Key initiatives include enhancing the provision of
cross-border e-commerce public services, streamlining customs clearance
facilitation, expediting the implementation of tax policies, optimizing
cross-border fund settlement services, supporting enterprises in managing
exchange rate risks, and increasing financial support. To achieve these goals,
the plan emphasizes strengthening the system integration and data sharing between
the public service platform and customs, taxation, and other relevant
departments. A risk-based approach will be adopted to dynamically adjust the
manual inspection rate for imported retail goods. Enterprises will receive
support in applying tax policies for cross-border e-commerce operations. In
cases where enterprises encounter difficulties in timely foreign exchange
collection for repaying foreign exchange loans due to special reasons, lending
banks will be authorized to purchase foreign exchange to facilitate loan
repayment. Moreover, interest discount support will be provided for enterprises
to declare relevant trade financing products through the Shanghai International
Trade “Single Window.”

The fifth
aspect aims to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, fostering a thriving
industry ecosystem. The plan focuses on nurturing and attracting industry
talents while promoting exchanges and collaboration within the sector.
Specifically, the plan proposes exploring the establishment of a
school-enterprise real-scenario cross-border e-commerce vocational skills
training system. Qualified cross-border e-commerce professionals will be
encouraged to settle in Shanghai. The plan also urges import-focused e-commerce
businesses to actively engage with the China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Furthermore, industry associations and key enterprises will be encouraged to
enhance international exchanges.

2. The contents of
the Shanghai Three-Year Action Plan for Promoting the High-quality Development
of the Convention and Exhibition Economy and Building an International
Convention and Exhibition City (2023-2025)

The convention
and exhibition economy action plan presents 20 measures across five key
aspects.

The
first aspect emphasizes serving the national strategy at a high level. It
advocates implementing major national strategic tasks and proposes accelerating
the construction of an import and export commodity distribution center that
connects the Yangtze River Delta, serves the entire nation, and expands the
impact throughout the Asia-Pacific region by leveraging the national strategic
platform. The focus is on creating an important convention and exhibition hub
with higher levels of opening-up and stronger global reach under the highest
standards and strongest capabilities. The plan encourages key conventions and exhibitions
to enhance cooperation with the Yangtze River Delta, promoting high-quality
coordinated development in the region.

The
second aspect aims to boost the capacities and abilities, and enhance the
functions of global resource allocation. It prioritizes advancing industry
development and suggests strengthening joint investment promotions through the “Four-in-One”
approach, attracting high-level convention and exhibition enterprises and
projects. The plan seeks to attract internationally renowned convention and
exhibition corporate headquarters and organization agencies, encouraging the
joint development of international high-end professional conferences and brand
exhibitions. Additionally, it promotes the large-scale, collectivized, and
diversified growth of the city’s convention and exhibition enterprises,
nurturing groups with international competitiveness. The plan also focuses on
creating new advantages for exhibition venues and optimizing their layout to
enhance internal and external reach. The aim is to gather and establish a batch
of influential and competitive convention and exhibition projects with global
significance.

The
third aspect centers on optimizing the layout and building a new convention and
exhibition economy ecosystem. It prioritizes accelerating the formation of a
favorable industrial ecosystem that promotes high-quality development in the convention
and exhibition economy. The plan suggests maximizing the use of exhibition
venue resources, stimulating innovation among small and medium-sized exhibition
enterprises and intermediary organizations, and fostering the coordinated
development of the entire convention and exhibition industry chain. Pudong’s
convention and exhibition economy will serve as a demonstrative and leading
force, leveraging the construction of the Oriental Hub, a pilot international
special management zone, to create new growth drivers for the convention and exhibition
economy. The plan also supports the development of the Hongqiao International
Convention and Exhibition Industrial Park, gradually building a strategy and
resource-sharing mechanism that links the Yangtze River Delta and serves the
entire nation. Furthermore, the plan advocates for the integrated development
of offline and online exhibitions, supporting the creation of a number of cloud
exhibition brand projects and online/offline integrated exhibitions with strong
driving force and high reputation.

The fourth aspect
focuses on integrated empowerment to amplify the comprehensive driving effect
of the convention and exhibition economy. In alignment with the city’s major
strategies, such as building “Five Centers” and an international consumption
center city, the plan primarily proposes targeting key industries and creating
and nurturing a batch of high-quality exhibitions that align closely with the
industry’s leading direction. To achieve this, the plan advocates promoting a
combination of various conventions and exhibitions and high-end professional
conferences and forums. It further emphasizes deepening cooperation and
interaction between high-quality conventions and exhibitions and important
festivals, encouraging the cultivation and hosting of high-level international
conferences across various industries. Additionally, the plan aims to create
joint projects encompassing business, travel, culture, and sports. By
unleashing the potential of consumption, the plan supports the organization of
premieres, first shows, and inaugural exhibitions. It also seeks to enhance the
perennial display and transaction function based on exhibitions plus business,
thereby contributing to the realization of Shanghai’s aspiration to become an
international consumption center city.

The fifth aspect
aims to integrate innovation, fostering a highland for the convention and
exhibition economy and an exemplary business environment. With a focus on
Shanghai’s unique characteristics, the plan aims to enhance the city’s urban
convention and exhibition guarantee system. This involves building a multi-faceted,
precise, and efficient policy promotion system. Specifically, the plan
emphasizes the thorough implementation of the Shanghai Municipal Convention and
Exhibition Industry Regulations, streamlining customs clearance procedures for
exhibits and personnel, and reducing the overall cost of holding exhibitions.
It highlights the importance of coordinating and effectively utilizing various
special funds, supporting the introduction of internationally renowned
exhibitions and enterprises while cultivating professional exhibitions that
align with the city’s modern industrial development strategy. Furthermore, the
plan advocates improving standard systems for convention and exhibition
services, convention and exhibition operations, and green conventions and exhibitions.
Standardizing the exhibition market is a priority, with an emphasis on
bolstering the protection of intellectual property and eliminating any
exhibition activities that violate laws, regulations, public order, or good
customs. Additionally, the plan underscores the significance of enhancing the
management of holding and participating in overseas exhibitions.