Shanghai promotes Silk Road e-commerce

The Silk Road E-commerce Carnival is held at the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center. [Photo/WeChat account: scofcom]

Shanghai authorities launched a series of activities at the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center on May 10 to drive consumption and trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Themed "Silk Road E-commerce and Cloud Shopping", the activities are part of the city's May 5 Shopping Festival and will last until May 20. They include five country-themed online activities and on-site events for Thailand, New Zealand, Central Asia, Chile and Italy, as well as various events by key e-commerce enterprises.

The activities will introduce products, food, tourism and culture from BRI countries to the domestic market. Consumers will be able to experience the charm of these countries through live broadcasts, tasting sessions and cultural shows.

The activities will also leverage the spillover effect of the China International Import Expo and enhance e-commerce cooperation with enterprises from BRI countries in terms of branding, supply chain and technology.

At the launch ceremony, several agreements were signed between e-commerce platforms and enterprises. Alibaba's fresh food chain Freshippo, for example, signed commodity trade cooperation agreements worth $1 billion with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Cyprus, Russia and Italy.