Foreign products tap Chinese market through e-commerce

By scanning the QR code on a packet of Chile's cherry, customers can find out the fruit's origin and other information. Picture taken at China Chile Central in Shanghai on Aug 29, 2018. [Photo by Tan Xinyu/chinadaily.com.cn]

Foreign products carved out their way in Chinese market with the help of e-commerce, which recorded 533 million shoppers as of December 2017, official data showed.

Henry Shu, chairman of 16 Central and Eastern Europe Countries Pavilions in Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, said on Wednesday that foreign products on his platforms saw higher sales volume than brick-and-mortar stores.

And the pavilions joined hands with China's e-commerce giants, such as Suning and JD.com, he added.

The national pavilions of 16 CEE countries are part of the National (Regional) Pavilion Project which serves as a two-way platform to connect foreign countries and China. At present, countries involved in the project include Australia, Chile, Hungary, Ian and Bulgaria.

Wu Yuanfeng, in charge of China Chile Central, told reporters on Wednesday that his center works on clearing barriers in the foreign trade, and ensuring products' quality is one example.

By scanning a quick response (QR) code on each packet of Chile's cherry, Chinese customers could trace back the cherry's origin and other information, such as its category and picking date, Wu said.

Along with economic services, the project also promotes exchange and cooperation in other areas like culture and education.