On November 21, the World Internet Conference (WIC) Cross-Border E-Commerce Sustainable Development Forum took place in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. At the forum, industry leaders, experts, and executives from globally recognized companies discussed topics such as international trade in cross-border e-commerce, globalization, and international cooperation, focusing on innovation and sustainable development of cross-border e-commerce under the new global economic conditions.

Juntao Song, Secretary-General of the World Electronic Trade Platform (eWTP), delivered a keynote speech. Mr. Song pointed out that global digital technology innovation has brought about trade transformation, with cross-border e-commerce displaying strong vitality and driving global trade alongside traditional bulk transactions. Countries should recognize the status of cross-border e-commerce as a new mainstream trading form, move beyond traditional trade thinking, redesign governance systems through top-level design, establish new trade rules, and actively promote institutional innovation to achieve full-process digitalization of cross-border e-commerce governance while striving to reach a globally unified governance system for cross-border e-commerce.

The theme of this cross-border e-commerce sustainable development forum was "Collaborative Governance for Promoting High-Quality Development of Cross-Border E-Commerce." When Alibaba proposed the eWTP initiative in 2016, its core idea was to promote new trade rules and inclusive trade through public-private cooperation. This concept received high recognition from representatives at the forum.

Syed Aftab Haider, CEO of Pakistan's Single Window, stated that Pakistan's Single Window recently collaborated with eWTP to develop a cross-border e-commerce management system that connects online markets with buyers, courier companies, banks, and customs. This replaced the previous manual operation model for small cross-border packages, achieving digital supervision and enhancing customs clearance efficiency. By establishing direct data connections with the State Bank of Pakistan, it addressed cross-border settlement issues and became a typical example of win-win cooperation between public and private sectors.

This forum is an important part of the 2024 World Internet Conference, co-hosted by the China Customs Society and eWTP. Over 100 guests attended from government departments, international organizations, academia, well-known enterprises, experts and scholars, and media reporters.