Digital commerce development calls for joint efforts

Joint efforts from governments at all levels, industrial organizations, scientific research institutions and enterprises are needed to develop the country's digital commerce, industry experts said.

Digital commerce is using the internet, internet of things, wireless communication and other communication technologies and data analysis methods to digitize and intelligentize business processes.

"This year is the fourth year since the concept of digital commerce was raised. Digital commerce is one of the main themes of China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). Developing digital commerce improves information application, raises the internationalization level of business development, and is an inevitable trend," Cai Yudong, deputy director of the department of electronic commerce and information at the Ministry of Commerce, said.

Yuan Gaoqiang, deputy head of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, said China's digital commerce sector has been developing rapidly.

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that in 2020, China's digital trade volume reached 1.46 trillion yuan ($226.3 billion), up 20.5 percent year-on-year. The growth rate was 15.6 percentage points higher than that of China's trade in services during the same period.

"The development potential in the country's digital trade sector continued to release, the vitality of subcategories constantly improved, and the competitiveness in cloud service, cross-border e-commerce and online tourism continued to increase," Yuan said.

He said there is huge development room for digital commerce, and communication and cooperation within the industry should be strengthened to jointly discuss the development direction of digital commerce, and construct a new ecology.

Cai said the Ministry of Commerce will continue to work with other parties to offer a better development environment for digital commerce and promote the high-quality development of digital commerce.