On December 11-14, the First Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE) will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. With the theme of “Digital Trade Connected to the World”, this year’s GDTE will hold meetings, forums, exhibitions, release of results, interactive experiences and other activities to deepen the international cooperation and jointly promote the development of digital trade.

With more application of digital technology in the international trade in recent years, cross-border e-commerce and digital trade in services have thrived. With the fact that China has topped the world in e-commerce transaction volume and mobile payment transaction volume, China has grown into a powerhouse in global digital trade. GDTE will facilitate the globalization of China’s digital trade and also provide an opportunity for the developing countries to develop digital technology. Global digital trade giants, such as Amazon, Tesla, eBay and Alibaba, will show up at this year’s GDTE and will work with international economies, organizations and enterprises to set new rules for digital trade through negotiation.

Admittedly, the practice of Zhejiang province takes the lead in developing digital economy in China. The data show that the province’s added value of digital economy accounted for 48.6% of GDP in 2021, which was the highest in China, and the annual average growth rate was twice that of GDP. Due to long-time practice and solid foundation, Zhejiang enjoys competitive potential in digital trade. In addition, Zhejiang has issued Several Opinions of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Zhejiang Provincial People's Government on Vigorous Development of Digital Trade and other policies & documents regarding digital trade, and has proposed 23 measures and tasks centered on building five major systems, namely, digital trade industry, platform, ecology, institution and regulation. Also, it has been the first to release White Paper for Standardization of Digital Trade, General Terms for Digital Trade and other important achievements in China. Zhejiang will unite as one and attach great importance to the overall plan of digital trade and make concerted efforts to ensure innovation and high-quality development of digital trade.