(2024-2026)
I. Framework Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, conscientiously implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping in his visit to Jiangsu Province, seize new opportunities for the development of digital economy, and focus on four major actions of "industrial development, entity cultivation, service improvement, and talent training," so as to highlight advantages, make up for weaknesses, accelerate the construction of Huai'an Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, and promote the deep integration of cross-border e-commerce and characteristic industries. We will promote the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce, help with the steady improvement of the quality of foreign trade, and make new and greater contributions to accelerating Huai'an's high-level opening up to the outside world as well as its efforts to become better and stronger, leapfrog, and catch up with other cities.
II. Development Objectives
Focusing on the construction of a cross-border e-commerce central city and multimodal transport trade facilitation hub in the northern part of the Yangtze River Delta, Huai'an will continue to improve the development ecology of cross-border e-commerce. Huai'an Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone will strive to achieve remarkable results in industrial agglomeration, entity cultivation, service improvement, and talent training by the end of 2026. We will develop 3-5 characteristic industry belts for cross-border e-commerce, construct at least10 provincial and city-level cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, establish 5 or more provincial-level cross-border e-commerce export brands, attract and aggregation of professional high-quality service providers, cultivate 200 new market entities, and achieve an annual transaction volume of over RMB 10 billion in cross-border e-commerce.
III. Key Tasks
(I) Implement actions to accelerate industrial agglomeration
1. Cultivate cross-border e-commerce industrial belts. We will implement the "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Belt" project to push Huai'an products to overseas markets, focusing on characteristic industrial belts such as hotel linens and home supplies in Huai'an District, outdoor sports equipment in Qingjiangpu District and Jinhu County, clothing accessories in Huaiyin District and Lianshui County, hardware tools in the Economic Development Zone, and food and kitchen supplies in Hongze District. This will involve strengthening policy support and service guarantees. We will provide precise support in areas such as enterprise incubation, brand internationalization, talent cultivation, and customs clearance facilitation, guiding more domestic and foreign trade enterprises to embrace digital transformation and expand the scale of the industry. Each county/district (industrial park) should clarify its industrial positioning, cultivate more than one cross-border e-commerce industrial belt, construct an industrial belt exhibition and selection center within the cross-border e-commerce industrial park, and promote the integrated development of "industrial park + characteristic industrial belt."
2. Strengthen the construction of cross-border e-commerce parks. Each county/district (industrial park) should combine its local industrial advantages to establish cross-border e-commerce development guidance funds, formulate preferential policies to attract investments, introduce professional operation organizations and high-quality service providers, build cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, encourage traditional e-commerce industrial parks to expand their cross-border e-commerce business, and accelerate industrial agglomeration. The Northern District of Huai'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone should leverage its locational advantages to create an airport-based cross-border e-commerce open platform. We will establish a graded cultivation mechanism for cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, strengthen performance assessment and dynamic management, identify a batch of municipal industrial parks, and support excellent parks to apply for accreditation as provincial cross-border e-commerce industrial parks. By the end of 2026, the city will have built more than 10 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks at the provincial and municipal levels or above. The provincial and municipal cross-border e-commerce industrial parks recognized by the commerce department will receive a one-time reward.
(II) Implement actions to attract and cultivate market entities
3. Accelerate the introduction of leading cross-border e-commerce enterprises. We will establish a key enterprise attraction database for cross-border e-commerce in Huai'an City, focusing on introducing cross-border e-commerce platforms and trade-oriented entities with wide and significant industry influence. We will also encourage the establishment of regional headquarters, operation centers, innovation centers, distribution centers, and other functional institutions in Huai'an and carry out supply chain collaboration with characteristic industry belt enterprises in our city and surrounding areas. We will provide tailored support for the introduced leading enterprises on a case-by-case basis, guide eligible enterprises to actively seek support policies related to headquarters economy and platform economy, and encourage each county/district (industrial park) to give support according to local conditions, taking into account the scale of the project and operational realities. Focusing on the construction of designated regulatory sites for imported fruits, we will attract leading enterprises that integrate storage, processing, distribution, and delivery, and establish a Northern Jiangsu fruit import and export distribution center. Each county/district (industrial park) should attract 1-2 leading enterprises every year.
4. Support cross-border e-commerce entities to grow and become stronger. We will establish a key cross-border e-commerce enterprise cultivation repository for Huai'an City, and implement the "Expansion and Quality Improvement" project. We will guide technology-based manufacturing companies in digital transformation, encourage traditional foreign trade companies and e-commerce companies to expand cross-border e-commerce business, and draw college graduates and various skilled talent to entrepreneurship in cross-border e-commerce business. We will increase the cultivation of benchmark enterprises in characteristic industries such as hotel linen, outdoor sports equipment, clothing accessories, hardware tools, and household goods by supporting them in nurturing private domain traffic through international sales platforms, their own websites, social media, and overseas warehouses, thereby increasing their market share. We will encourage qualified cross-border e-commerce enterprises to apply for recognition as national high-tech enterprises or specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises. By the end of 2026, the city will have 200 new cross-border e-commerce enterprises, with one enterprise exceeding RMB 1 billion in import and export, and over 10 enterprises exceeding RMB 100 million. Support will be provided to enterprises with special contributions.
5. Foster cross-border e-commerce integrated service enterprises. We will actively introduce cross-border service providers offering specialized or integrated services to cultivate the cross-border e-commerce ecosystem. We will create a directory of cross-border e-commerce service in Huai'an that are key to municipal-level cultivation, attracting professional service providers such as start-up incubators, outsourced operations, export compliance, customs clearance and tax rebates, digital marketing, and supply chain financing to offer enterprises a "one-stop" cross-border e-commerce solution. We will encourage professional service enterprises of a certain scale to transition into platform enterprises, enhance the integration capability of industrial and supply chain services, and drive the clustered development of manufacturers, traders, service providers, and other businesses. The Southern District of Huai'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone will establish an import goods exhibition and sales center as well as a retail experience center, while the Northern District will create a cross-border logistics service center, contributing new momentum in building a cross-border e-commerce hub in the northern Yangtze River Delta. Each county/district (industrial park) should introduce and cultivate 1-2 cross-border e-commerce service providers every year.
6. Assist cross-border e-commerce enterprises in expanding into international markets. We will guide enterprises to expand their markets and scale up through combining online tools, such as cross-border e-commerce third-party platforms and self-operated websites, and offline channels, such as cross-border e-commerce trade fairs and the Canton Fair. We will deepen exchanges with mainstream cross-border e-commerce third-party platforms and support enterprises in utilizing these platforms and their own websites for conducting cross-border e-commerce operations. Key domestic cross-border e-commerce trade fairs such as China Cross-border E-commerce Trade Fair, the Yangtze River Delta Cross-border E-commerce Fair, and the Nantong Cross-border E-commerce Selection Expo will be included in the city's annual trade promotion plan, offering policy support in aspects like exhibition booth fees. We will optimize the allocation of booth resources at key exhibitions such as the Canton Fair and the East China Fair, favoring leading cross-border e-commerce enterprises and branded companies.
7. Promote the creation of independent cross-border e-commerce brands. We will support cross-border e-commerce enterprises in registering their own trademarks overseas, carrying out international product certification, and applying for patents. We will encourage qualified cross-border e-commerce enterprises to cultivate and build DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) brands, and guide enterprises to use search engines, social media, etc., to carry out global brand promotion. We will protect corporate intellectual property rights and provide legal assistance to businesses involved in overseas intellectual property disputes. We will establish a cross-border e-commerce brand cultivation repository for Huai'an City, set evaluation standards, focus on cultivating and recognizing a group of municipal-level well-known cross-border e-commerce brands, and support those who meet the conditions to apply for recognition as provincial-level brands. The goal is to cultivate and accredit more than 30 well-known cross-border e-commerce brands by the end of 2026.
(III) Implement actions to enhance the service system
8. Optimize customs clearance facilitation measures. We will optimize the layout of cross-border e-commerce customs clearance nodes, enhance the level of informatization and intelligentization of customs clearance, and improve comprehensive service capabilities. In accordance with the customs deployment, we will explore the supervision innovation of cross-border e-commerce export forward warehouses and the pilot scheme of "inspect before shipment" for export LCL cargo. We will also explore and study the empowerment of cross-border e-commerce export goods with functions such as LCL consolidation, control, and inspection in forward warehouses. We will optimize the cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouse model (Customs Supervision Code 9810) customs registration process, realizing "local registration, nationwide use." We will create a cross-border e-commerce import distribution center in the Huai'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone to allow "online ordering and immediate customs clearance." We will promote the cross-border e-commerce retail import return center warehouse model, which will help manage cross-border e-commerce export return goods more effectively, while guiding enterprises to carry out export return operations.
9. Construct a multimodal transport trade facilitation hub. We will promote international cross-border logistics companies and leading domestic logistics companies to establish legal entities in our city and carry out cross-border logistics services. We will accelerate the construction of designated regulatory sites for imported fruits. We will open and restore air cargo routes to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Macau, and other locations. We will innovate and create a digital platform for public logistics, promoting the integrated online and offline development of logistics. We will vigorously promote the application of the "Haihe Coordination, Shanghai-Huai'an Integration" port operation mode, accelerate the development of multimodal transport "single bill system" and "single container system," improve the service system for river-sea and rail-sea multimodal transport, advance the green transformation of logistics hubs, and build a modern integrated freight multimodal transport center that encompasses port services, warehouse logistics, and comprehensive supporting functions. In line with industrial development needs, we will continuously conduct research on the initiation of new China-Europe (China-Central Asia) rail link services.
10. Innovate foreign exchange tax administration. We will promote the facilitation of foreign exchange receipts and payments and reduce transaction costs. We will ensure smooth channels for foreign exchange settlement in cross-border e-commerce and guide the return flow of capital. Cross-border e-commerce enterprises will be allowed to net off the costs incurred overseas for warehousing, logistics, taxes, etc., against the export proceeds, in accordance with regulations. We will support qualified banks and non-bank payment institutions in using electronic transaction information to provide efficient foreign exchange settlement and sale services for current account transactions for cross-border e-commerce entities, as well as related fund receipt and payment services. We will guide banks to step up innovation in exchange rate hedging products and services targeted at cross-border e-commerce activities, extensively carry out financial policy publicity, and intensify training in exchange rate risk management for foreign trade companies. We will implement the tax policy for returned goods from cross-border e-commerce exports. For returned goods declared under the cross-border e-commerce customs supervision codes (1210, 9610, 9710, 9810) that meet the regulations, the goods will be exempted from import tariffs and the value-added tax and consumption tax at the import stage. We will strengthen the publicity and coaching services for cross-border e-commerce tax policies to ensure that businesses fully enjoy the tax benefits they are entitled to.
11. Strengthen financial and insurance services. We will encourage financial institutions to develop innovative financial products and engage in in-depth cooperation with cross-border e-commerce enterprises and service platforms. We will expand the number of beneficiaries and the scale of loans under the "Suzhou Trade Credit" to alleviate the difficulties of corporate financing, and to support cross-border e-commerce enterprises in rapidly growing from "small" to "large." We will broaden the coverage of policy-oriented export credit insurance and increase the underwriting capacity for leading cross-border e-commerce enterprises and key segments. We will accelerate the promotion of new insurance products such as cross-border e-commerce export political risk insurance, platform payment insurance, and overseas warehouse sales insurance to reduce the risks associated with exporting business.
12. Accelerate the global layout of overseas warehouses. We will encourage enterprises to focus on building overseas warehouses in countries and regions along the "Belt and Road," RCEP member states, and major node cities along the China-Europe Railway Express routes, and to expand the construction of overseas warehouses in key markets such as Europe, North America, Japan, and South Korea. We aim to enhance the functions of overseas warehouses, such as storage and distribution, marketing and exhibition, and consolidation of goods, and to expand business models such as "live broadcasting within the warehouse" and "showcase in the front, warehouse in the back." We will encourage the joint construction and sharing of overseas warehouses, recognize a batch of municipal-level public overseas warehouses, support eligible ones to apply for the status of provincial public overseas warehouses, and provide certain support to enterprises that succeed in the application, encouraging the city's cross-border e-commerce companies to share public overseas warehouses.
(IV) Implementing actions to cultivate professional talent
13. Improve the mechanism for cultivating cross-border e-commerce talent. We will establish a cross-border e-commerce talent cultivation system that involves the government, universities, enterprises, and associations working together. We encourage universities to offer cross-border e-commerce majors, to create cross-border e-commerce industry-education alliances, and to promote cooperation between schools and enterprises. We will incorporate the work of attracting cross-border e-commerce talent into the city-wide talent policy support framework, in order to attract relevant talent to settle in Huai'an. We will explore mechanisms to retain cross-border e-commerce talent by offering certain rewards to high-quality talent who have served cross-border e-commerce enterprises for more than three years. We will include cross-border e-commerce skill training providers into beneficiaries of to vocational training policies, encouraging qualified training bases and institutions to carry out various forms of cross-border e-commerce skill training and issue skill level certification, and to enjoy training subsidies in accordance with regulations.
14. Create a first-class business environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. We will implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Municipal Committee and the Municipal Government, adhere to the philosophy that "actions speak louder than words, services precede demand," establish an "Entrepreneur+N Services" salon club, and create an "all-in-one" service platform that integrates customs, taxation, foreign exchange, legal, and talent services, to foster an international, market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and facilitative top-notch business environment. We will organize events such as cross-border e-commerce innovation and entrepreneurship contests, vocational skills competitions, and talent matchmaking fairs to continually stimulate the innovative vitality of talent. We will establish and improve the service bases operated on platforms, provide incubation services for cross-border e-commerce talent, and facilitate enterprises' transformation into cross-border e-commerce.
IV. Organizational Support
(I) Strengthen organizational leadership. We will strengthen the coordination mechanism of the leading group for the construction of the China (Huai'an) Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, coordinate with multiple departments and across various sectors to form a collaborative effort, and implement this action plan with high quality. Members of the leading group should provide proactive services, advance major issues, key policies, and institutional innovations, and solve critical and difficult issues in advancing the development of cross-border e-commerce, creating a favorable environment for its development.
(II) Increase policy support. We will research and formulate cross-border e-commerce policies for Huai'an City and coordinate national, provincial, and municipal commercial development funds to support the implementation of these cross-border e-commerce policies. Within the policy's scope, each county/district (industrial park) is encouraged to set up special funds and introduce corresponding support policies in accordance with this action plan.
(III) Strengthen performance assessment and guidance. We will intensify performance assessments, incorporate cross-border e-commerce-related development indicators into the city's comprehensive assessment of high-quality development for counties/districts (industrial parks), and introduce detailed assessment rules. Each department, county, district, and industrial park must fulfill their primary responsibilities, refine their tasks and measures, and ensure that all work is effectively implemented.