Digital News

　　According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China’s cross-border e-commerce showed robust growth in the first half of this year, with total import and export transactions hitting around 1.32 trillion yuan, up 5.7% year over year. Exports amounted to 1.03 trillion yuan, up 4.7%, while imports reached 291.1 billion yuan, rising by 9.3%.

　　As a key part of digital trade, China’s cross-border e-commerce performance in the first half of the year highlights the robust growth momentum of the country’s digital trade sector.

　　In recent years, China’s digital trade sector has accelerated rapidly, becoming a new trend in the country’s foreign trade and a new driver for economic growth. According to the 2025–2030 China Digital Trade Industry Competition Analysis and Development Prospect Forecast Report released by ChinaIRN.COM, China’s digital trade market is projected to exceed 4.5 trillion yuan by 2025 and reach 8.2 trillion yuan by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of over 12%.

　　The rapid growth of digital trade is largely driven by the increased focus from both national and local governments in recent years, coupled with the ongoing implementation of favorable policies supporting the sector.

　　At the national level, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly emphasized innovation and development in digital trade, as well as advancing the establishment of integrated pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce. The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference identified the active development of digital trade as a key measure to further expand high-standard opening up. The Opinions on the Reform and Innovation Development of Digital Trade called for promoting reforms and innovation in digital trade to generate new momentum and advantages for foreign trade development, thereby accelerating the building of a digital China and a trader of quality. The 2025 Report on the Work of the Government highlighted cultivating new growth drivers in digital trade as a priority task. Meanwhile, the Opinions on Implementing the Strategy for Upgrading Pilot Free Trade Zones incorporated digital trade as a core part of the trade policy framework in these zones, proposing a series of targeted measures to support its development.

　　In this respect, Song Siyuan, Associate Researcher at the Data Center of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, noted that as a new growth driver for foreign trade, China’s digital trade has played an increasingly significant role in stabilizing foreign trade during the first half of this year, bolstered by a series of supportive policies. Notably, each sub-sector is showing distinct signs of innovation-driven development, mainly reflected in three key aspects:

　　In the aspect of digital product trade, exports of digital content have grown more diverse, with online literature, digital games, and Internet animations driving a notable trend of “cultural export.” Beyond boosting trade figures, these products have played a key role in promoting Chinese culture and strengthening China’s presence on the global stage.

　　In the aspect of digital technology and digital services trade, Chinese enterprises are actively delivering digital solutions worldwide. Their offerings span a broad spectrum from consumer Internet services such as remote work, online education, and digital entertainment to industrial Internet services like industrial Internet, smart cities, and intelligent manufacturing. This comprehensive approach has enabled China to establish a competitive export advantage in key areas, including cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence.

　　In the aspect of data trade, China is proactively building a governance framework for cross-border data flows that prioritizes both security and growth. By coordinating efforts across legal frameworks, policy mechanisms, technical support, and international cooperation, China is laying a solid foundation to effectively unlock the future potential of data trade.

　　At the local level, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Jiangsu, and other regions have introduced targeted policies and action plans to support digital and service trade. These include the Implementation Plan of Shanghai for Promoting High-Quality Development of Digital and Service Trade, the Implementation Plan of Beijing for Promoting High-Quality Development of Service and Digital Trade through High-Level Opening-Up, the Action Plan of Chongqing for High-Quality Development of Digital and Service Trade, the Implementation Plan of Shenzhen for Promoting High-Quality Development of Service and Digital Trade, and the Several Measures of Jiangsu Province for Innovating and Enhancing Digital Trade to Promote High-Quality Development of Service Trade, among others—all reinforcing efforts to strengthen the digital trade industry.

　　“Digital trade has emerged as a new engine of innovative foreign trade growth nationwide. In the first half of this year, local governments have implemented targeted and pragmatic measures tailored to their industrial strengths and unique advantages, fostering significant advancements in market scale, model innovation, and ecosystem enhancement. Additionally, their pilot efforts in areas such as regulatory alignment and cross-border data flow mechanisms have provided valuable experience for improving the national digital trade governance system,” said Song Siyuan.

　　Looking ahead to China’s digital trade development, Song Siyuan recommended further strengthening the policy framework for digital trade innovation and development, while establishing and refining foundational rules on digital intellectual property protection, utilization, and cross-border data flow regulation, to more effectively unlock the sector’s growth potential. He highlighted the need to keep strengthening China’s competitive edge in digital trade by ramping up investment in digital technology R&D, driving technological innovation, advancing industrial upgrades, and steadily enhancing core capabilities in the sector. He also stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation mechanisms in the digital area and accelerate the development of a digital trust system, creating a more favorable external environment for growth.

　　Zheng Wei, Associate Researcher at the China Outsourcing Institute and a member of the National Digital Trade Expert Working Group, noted that as both the world’s second-largest economy and the second-largest digital economy, China holds vast potential for the growth of digital trade. In the new era, China should capitalize on its first-mover advantages, including a robust digital economy foundation, cutting-edge digital technologies, diverse application scenarios, and a vast market, to fully unleash the digital benefits. Efforts should focus on strengthening and solidifying the role positioning of digital trade, participation in the formulation of international rules, and the development of legal and regulatory frameworks, enabling it to become both a new driver for the high-quality growth of the export-oriented economy and a key force in advancing the new development paradigm. It is recommended to strengthen top-level design for digital trade with a clearly defined development direction; accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure and strengthen the foundation for digital trade growth; advance digital industrialization and boost the vitality of digital trade; refine data regulation mechanisms and conduct pilot programs for safe cross-border data flows; and actively engage in shaping international rules to vigorously expand development opportunities.