Chinese e-commerce companies are intensifying efforts to expand trade and investment with countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthen Silk Road e-commerce cooperation, which has served as a new pathway to bridge the digital divide.

The measures include providing cross-border e-commerce training courses, selling local specialties via online shopping platforms and livestreaming and facilitating the digital transformation of local enterprises by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and supply chain infrastructure.

Experts said the move will inject new vitality and momentum into global economic growth, while facilitating the development of the digital economy to better benefit people worldwide.

In the field of e-commerce education cooperation, Alibaba Business School of Hangzhou Normal University launched Africa's first undergraduate program in cross-border e-commerce in collaboration with Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group's eWTP team in 2019.

The eWTP, or electronic World Trade Platform, is an Alibaba-led initiative that aims to lower barriers to global trade for small and medium-sized enterprises via e-commerce.

"Centered on digital technologies and talent cultivation, the program empowers African youth while fostering cooperation in the digital economy domain and promoting cultural exchanges between China and African countries," said Zhang Jianlin, executive dean of Alibaba Business School.

The program makes use of digital platforms and resources to help Rwandan youth master core skills related to cross-border e-commerce. It has become a new model for international talent collaboration under the Silk Road e-commerce initiative, Zhang said.

In September 2019, the first batch of 22 Rwandan students traveled to Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, to begin their studies, and over the past six years, the program has enrolled 77 students, with 39 graduates.

Zhang said Alibaba Business School will continue to carry out the program and replicate the successful model in more countries and regions involved in the BRI.

"The school will keep leveraging digital technologies to optimize curricula, expand practice opportunities and enrich cultural exchanges, aiming to cultivate more international talents with digital literacy, global vision and cultural inclusiveness," he added.

JD Worldwide, the cross-border e-commerce import platform of Chinese e-commerce giant JD, supports enterprises from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in digital store operations, cross-border smart logistics and artificial intelligence-powered data analytics.

It recently launched online national pavilions for ASEAN member states, bringing local specialties that cover food, beauty and personal care products, and beverages to Chinese consumers. The pavilions integrate rich cultural elements from Southeast Asian countries to create an immersive, scenario-based shopping experience.

At the same time, JD Worldwide has invited ambassadors and chamber representatives from ASEAN countries to promote specialty goods from their home countries, and has launched a variety of promotional campaigns to stimulate consumer interest in shopping.

Currently, JD operates over 140 national pavilions across its platform, and in the next three years, the company plans to expand this network and offer greater access to distinctive and high-quality overseas products. It will advance global supply chains by integrating cutting-edge logistics technology to accelerate delivery timelines and elevate cross-border efficiency.

The Ministry of Commerce said Silk Road e-commerce cooperation has expanded to 36 partner countries, and promoted cross-border sales and mutual benefits through thematic events, partnership initiatives and industry matchmaking.

Hangzhou High Store Technology Co Ltd, a supply chain solutions provider for global brands, is strengthening trade and economic cooperation with partner countries of Silk Road e-commerce by pioneering a new cross-border e-commerce model combining livestreaming in bonded warehouses, selection of digital products and integrated supply chain services.

Founded in 2014, the company is engaged in various links of supply chain management, such as logistics planning, cross-border Customs clearance, warehousing and distribution integration, international transportation, information systems and intelligent equipment.

It has established the nation's first livestreaming base in bonded warehouses. By the end of 2024, the company had hosted nearly 1,000 livestreaming events, with the gross merchandise value from livestreaming exceeding 600 million yuan ($84.4 million).

The digital products selection center, the first of its kind in Zhejiang province, has connected more than 2,000 brands and channel partners. The company has set up a cross-border import supply chain services platform, serving over 2,000 brand clients and dispatching more than 250 million parcels, with the scale of cross-border e-commerce imports surpassing 50 billion yuan.

Wang Hong, general manager of Hangzhou High Store Technology, said the company mainly focuses on cross-border comprehensive import services, cross-border digital supply chains, and cross-border retail solutions, with its business covering more than 60 countries, contributing to the sustainable, healthy and rapid development of Silk Road e-commerce.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to advance the integrated innovation of AI and augmented reality, adopting cutting-edge technologies to enhance the cross-border shopping experience and build a new digitalized and intelligent ecosystem covering compliance, product selection, marketing, transactions and services," Wang said.

Experts said through international cooperation on Silk Road e-commerce, China is scaling up its support to partner countries by providing advanced technologies, management experience, and infrastructure services in areas such as electronic payments, logistics and e-commerce. These efforts help partner countries learn and apply new models to drive the development of local e-commerce industries.

The authorities in Hunan province launched an online shopping season for products from Africa from April 28 to May 5 by combining offline pop-up stores and online livestreaming in order to increase brand awareness of high-quality African agricultural and food products in the Chinese market, and bolster Sino-African economic and trade cooperation.

During the promotional event, a 300-square-meter immersive consumer experience space was created in Changsha, capital of Hunan. More than 200 premium products across over 10 categories, including nuts, coffee, tea and wine from Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and other African countries were showcased, according to the Department of Commerce of Hunan.

James Kimonyo, Rwanda's ambassador to China, joined a livestreaming session on Chinese short-video platform Douyin to promote local specialty products such as chili sauce and coffee, attracting nearly 10,000 online viewers.

Zhang Zhouping, a senior analyst of business-to-business and cross-border activities at the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy, said Silk Road e-commerce has bolstered economic and trade cooperation among economies involved in the BRI, and facilitated the robust growth of global digital trade.

He noted that Silk Road e-commerce has become a new platform for multilateral and bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and the cooperation mechanism will boost the integration of developing countries into the global digital trade system and support SMEs in participating in international trade via cross-border e-commerce platforms.

Li Mingtao, chief e-commerce expert at the China International Electronic Commerce Center, said: "The development of Silk Road e-commerce has helped create immense business opportunities for Chinese SMEs to expand their global presence, while promoting the sales of overseas products in the Chinese market."