The 134th Canton Fair is currently in full swing, with"Silk Road e-commerce" emerging as a hot topic. What are the new highlights and challenges, emerging formats and trends in the development of cross-border e-commerce?

Over the past two weeks since the opening of the 134th Canton Fair, blue Alipay+ mobile payment options were widely advertised both inside and outside the venue. These promotions were highly visible in areas frequented by foreign consumers, including the Guangzhou metro, foreign-related hotels, commercial districts and the Pearl River Paiti Beer Culture and Creative Art Zone. In addition to the signs and handbooks advertising the service, many foreigners were seen using mobile payments for the first time in cafes, food courts, and other consumer areas inside the venue.

"Mobile payment is a calling card of China's digitalization. In the past, it may have only been available in Chinese, but now we hope to make it multilingual," said Fu Lu, General Manager of Ant Group's Cross-border Business in China. This year's Canton Fair has undergone a significant transformation compared to previous years. The introduction of mobile payments for overseas exhibitors, akin to their Chinese counterparts, has expanded the "Canton Fair economy" and opened up new cross-border business opportunities in the Pearl River Delta.

Benefiting from the gradual recovery of global consumer confidence and domestic economic operations, China's exports are poised for new opportunities. According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, during the first three quarters of this year, China's goods trade maintained stable and positive growth, with exports reaching 17.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.6%. It is expected that the fourth quarter will continue this recovery trend.

The macro achievements are reflected in micro-level data. World First, specializing in cross-border e-commerce and B2B cross-border payment and settlement services, has provided the following data: during the first three quarters, active sellers on World First's B2B foreign trade platform increased by over 80% compared to last year, with quarterly growth rates exceeding 10%.

Digitization is causing fast-paced growth in the global supply chain. The emergence of new and thriving cross-border e-commerce formats, such as B2B direct exports, overseas fulfillment, market procurement and Drop-shipping, brought significant changes in the traditional cross-border procurement methods. 

According to Yang Fengning, a director at CBRE, the Canton Fair serves as the biggest offline B2B platform for foreign trade, apart from B2C e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba International and AliExpress. The event has proven to be a fruitful avenue for small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their businesses globally, with many of them taking advantage of Guangdong's supply chain benefits to develop cross-border e-commerce.

In terms of cross-border transportation, rail-sea intermodal transport has gained favor among foreign traders. Intermodal transportation, which integrates the advantages of safe and stable railway transportation, efficient and eco-friendly features, and the cost-effectiveness of maritime transportation, has emerged as a crucial channel for cross-border shipping. This mode of transportation offers a large volume capacity at a low cost, making it the preferred choice for an ever-growing number of import and export enterprises.

As of October 24th, during the Canton Fair, a total of 208 rail-sea intermodal trains, carrying 13,100 TEUs of containers and 127,000 tons of goods, have been dispatched by China Railway Guangzhou Group.

"Compared to highway transportation, the cost of sea-rail intermodal transport through Huangpu Freight Yard in the Port of Nansha will be reduced by around 20%, which is very attractive," said Mr Nazmi, Logistics Manager at the trading company Dinchan Group.

广交会助力跨境电商拓展海外市场

第134届广交会正在如火如荼进行中，“丝路电商”成为热词。当前，跨境电商发展有哪些新亮点与新痛点、新业态与新趋势？

第134届广交会开幕近两周来，场外，从广州地铁到涉外酒店，从周边商圈到珠江琶醍啤酒文化创意艺术区，在外商消费热门地，蓝色的“Alipay+”宣传立牌和实用手册布置得清晰明了；场内，咖啡店、美食城等消费场景，更有不少“老外”开始尝试自己的手机支付第一单。

“移动支付是中国数字化的一张名片，过去它可能只有中文版，现在我们希望把它变成多语言的。”蚂蚁集团大中华区跨境业务总经理傅露介绍，相比往年，今年广交会的一大变化就是，境外展客商来了也能像中国人一样用移动支付了，这也进一步放大了“广交会经济”给珠三角带来的跨国商机。

受益于全球消费信心和国内经济运行的逐步恢复，中国出口将迎来新机遇。海关总署最新数据显示，今年前三季度，我国货物贸易进出口平稳运行、积极向好，其中出口17.6万亿元，同比增长0.6%；预期第四季度将维持修复态势。

宏观的“成绩”体现在一个个微观的数据里。以跨境电商和外贸B2B跨境收付兑服务为主营业务的万里汇给出了这样的数据：前三季度，万里汇B2B外贸平台上的活跃卖家同比去年增长超过了80%，且季度环比增速也均超过了10%。

可见，数字化正在推动全球供应链快速发展，跨境电商B2B直接出口、出口海外仓、市场采购、一件代发（Drop-shipping）等外贸新业态蓬勃发展，让传统跨境采购方式发生明显改变。

CBRE研究部董事杨丰宁向记者分析称，除了阿里巴巴国际站、速卖通等B2C外贸电商平台以外，广交会堪称“线下最大的B2B外贸平台”。杨丰宁指出，许多中小企业在广交会上获得第一桶金，找到“走出去”的渠道，而后又依托于广东的供应链优势发展跨境电商。

在跨境运输方面，海铁联运班列受外商青睐。据悉，作为跨境运输重要渠道之一的铁海联运，兼具铁路运输安全稳定、绿色环保、快捷高效的优势，以及海洋运输量大价廉之长，成为越来越多进出口企业跨境运输的主要选择。

截至10月24日，广铁广交会期间累计发送海铁联运班列208趟、集装箱13100TEU、货物12.7万吨。

“对比公路运输，通过南沙港黄圃货场海铁联运的成本将会降低20%左右，这十分吸引人。”Dinchan Group贸易公司物流经理Mr Nazmi说。

文｜羊城晚报记者 孙绮曼 沈钊 陈泽云  
图｜羊城晚报记者 梁喻 实习生 曾沂达
翻译｜陈萱
责编 | 王瑜瑛