Globalization push

China's cross-border e-commerce sector has seen robust growth in recent years. The sector's imports and exports reached 2.63 trillion yuan in 2024, an increase of 10.8 percent year-on-year, said the General Administration of Customs.

Cross-border e-commerce has become an important driving force for China's exports amid downward economic pressures and external uncertainties. Meanwhile, Chinese cross-border online retailers are speeding up their push into overseas markets amid a broader drive to cultivate new users and diversify revenue sources.

Temu, the cross-border e-commerce platform launched by Chinese online discounter PDD Holdings, is accelerating its expansion into new markets. Launched in the US in September 2022, it has entered more than 70 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Temu offers a wide selection of merchandise, including apparel, consumer electronics, jewelry, shoes, cosmetics, and baby products with deep discounts and coupons as part of its strategy to attract price-conscious consumers. Most of the products are shipped directly from factories or warehouses in China.

Fast-fashion online retailer Shein is ratcheting up resources to help Chinese manufacturers and brands expand their presence abroad, and boost the transformation of traditional industries by making use of its digital and flexible supply chains.

Shein said for sellers who are good at designing and producing products, but have no overseas sales and operations experience, it will provide one-stop services, including commodity operations, warehousing, logistics, customer service and after-sales service.

"In recent years, Chinese e-commerce platforms have taken active steps to make forays into overseas markets by offering shopping subsidies, expanding free shipping services and launching promotional campaigns, thus increasing their influence abroad," said Zhang Zhouping, an independent analyst who has been tracking the cross-border e-commerce sector for more than a decade.