A total of 113 projects were signed during the expo. Notable projects included the United Nations International Trade Centre Hangzhou Innovation Centre, the China-Kazakhstan Smart Port, the Central Asia Innovation Centre, the Belt and Road China-Africa Cooperation Industrial Park, and China Unicom Data Intelligence Company, among others.
From September 25 to 29, the third Global Digital Trade Expo (hereinafter referred to as “DTE”) was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, with the theme of “Digital Trade Connecting the World.” This year’s DTE attracted more than 1,500 companies from 32 countries and regions to participate, with over 30,000 professional buyers registering to attend.
This year’s Digital Trade Fair features one comprehensive exhibition area and eight specialized digital industry exhibition areas, with a stronger focus on industry hotspots and development trends. A total of 446 new products and technologies made their debut at this year’s fair, far exceeding the number from the previous edition. Steven Barnett, the Chief Representative of the International Monetary Fund in China, stated that the Digital Trade Fair has provided a platform for countries to advance cooperation and exchange in the field of digital economy.
The comprehensive exhibition zone includes the China Pavilion, International Organizations, Guest of Honor Country, Guest of Honor Province, Hong Kong and Macao Special Zone, and Zhejiang Pavilion, showcasing leading enterprises, innovative models, and application scenarios in the global digital trade sector. The China Pavilion highlights China’s achievements in the development of its digital economy and digital trade. The eight specialized digital industry exhibition zones—Data and Finance, Silk Road E-commerce, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, and others—showcase the future trends and directions of trade under the influence of digital technologies.
Implementing the Ten Major Partnership Initiatives for China-Africa Cooperation on Modernization and the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Framework Initiative on Digital Economy and Green Development, this year’s Digital Trade Fair will host the inaugural “Digital Trade Africa Day” and “Global Smart Cities Conference · Hangzhou,” upgrade and enhance the “Silk Road E-commerce Day,” and organize 32 key events and 161 supporting activities in exhibition zones, including “Invest in China,” “Data Element Governance,” “Digital Free Trade Zone,” “Digital Trade Law,” and “County-Level New Consumption.”
The Silk Road E-commerce Exhibition Zone showcased innovative models across the entire e-commerce value chain, including e-commerce platforms, cross-border logistics, mobile payments, and cloud services. “Cross-border e-commerce has enabled Ugandan coffee, tea, and handicrafts to enter the Chinese market, creating more job opportunities and development space for us,” said Ugandan Ambassador to China Oliver Wonyeka, expressing hope to jointly promote the vigorous development of China-Africa digital trade with China.
A series of authoritative reports were released at this year’s Digital Trade Conference, comprehensively showcasing the vibrant growth and vast potential of digital trade from multiple perspectives. The “Global Digital Trade Development Report 2024,” jointly compiled by the Digital Trade Conference Organizing Committee and the International Trade Centre, for the first time disclosed the total global digital trade volume calculated with the participation of international organizations; The “Silk Road E-commerce Cooperation and Development Report 2024 — Open Innovation to Create New Heights of Cooperation,” released by the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, states that in the context of global digital transformation, the development of e-commerce is a shared aspiration of all parties, and an increasing number of countries are beginning to recognize that “when it comes to e-commerce, look to China.”
Since Hangzhou was approved as the first national cross-border e-commerce pilot zone in 2015, the number of cross-border e-commerce sellers has grown from fewer than 100 to 63,000. Hangzhou’s leading cross-border payment companies account for approximately 40% of the national total. In 2023, Hangzhou’s digital trade volume reached approximately 319 billion yuan. Shen Kaibo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hangzhou Municipal Government, stated that Hangzhou will leverage its leading advantages in digital trade and the digital economy to actively participate in the formulation of digital trade standards, create a world-class digital business environment, and proactively promote institutional openness in digital trade.
