To implement the “Four Proposals” and the practical cooperation “Nine Projects” put forward by President Xi Jinping at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at the end of 2021 for building a China-Africa community with a shared future, expand “Silk Road E-commerce” cooperation with African countries, and support the development of e-commerce in Africa and youth innovation and entrepreneurship, the China (Fujian) – Africa Youth Cross-border E-commerce Conference was held on the afternoon of May 18 in the form of online video connection at the Shishi Rong Media Center. Xie Jianzhi, Deputy Mayor of Shishi Municipal Government, along with relevant officials from the Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Quanzhou Customs Shishi Office, and Municipal Council for the Promotion of International Trade attended the event. Luo Guansheng, Member of the Party Leadership Group of Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and Full-time Vice President of the Provincial Friendship Association, delivered a speech.

At the same time, to guide high-quality enterprises in the province to explore the huge market potential in Africa and open up new blue oceans in the e-commerce field, the Fujian Provincial People’s Government Foreign Affairs Office and Shishi City invited young enterprise representatives from some African countries and African students studying in Fujian to participate online. Lin Yisha, General Manager of Qingchuang City and CEO of Qingchuang Network, introduced online the digital development of Qingchuang Network and the creation of a closed-loop ecosystem for the textile and apparel supply chain as a representative of Shishi’s new internet e-commerce.

In his speech, Luo Guansheng stated that in recent years, the foundational, extensive, and lasting role of Fujian-Africa cooperation in sister city relations has become increasingly prominent. China-Africa youth have strengthened economic and trade consultations to promote the prosperity of China-Africa economic and trade exchanges. This China (Fujian) – Africa Youth Cross-border E-commerce Conference is a beneficial attempt by the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and other organizers to leverage foreign affairs resources and international sister city channels under the normalized epidemic situation to promote cross-border e-commerce cooperation between Fujian Province and Africa. The event will further deepen exchanges between Fujian-Africa youth talents and economic and trade fields, consolidate friendly cooperation between sister cities, and build a two-way exchange platform for China-Africa youth in the cross-border e-commerce field in the province. It will help promote deeper and more practical local and people-to-people friendly exchanges between China and Africa, encourage Fujian to actively carry out business and trade exchanges and cooperation with African countries, boost friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between Fujian Province and Africa, expand Shishi and even Fujian’s trade with Africa and cross-border e-commerce project cooperation, and further serve the overall situation of China-Africa friendly relations.

At the promotion event, Qingchuang Network CEO Lin Yisha used DHL data to demonstrate the potential development space of global B2B digital channel e-commerce transactions. Starting from first-level wholesale markets as a hub, Qingchuang Network acquires sellers through the market, empowers factories in reverse to solve sales problems, and promotes the development of upstream fabrics, accessories, and other links through factories. Based on the three digital platforms — Qingchuang Network, Yibaiwan, and Flash Store Station — it meets the needs of different business nodes in the industry’s digital construction, accelerates industrial efficiency and fast-response upgrades through digitalization, and realizes common prosperity for small and medium-sized enterprises.

As one of the Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office’s “International Sister Cities +” series of activities, this China (Fujian) – Africa Youth Cross-border E-commerce Conference featured a clear theme and rich content. The Shishi Municipal Bureau of Commerce invited representatives from two major African cross-border e-commerce platforms, Jumia and KiKUU, cross-border e-commerce experts and scholars, Hong Guobin, Director of the E-commerce Research Center of Huaqiao University, and representatives of outstanding Shishi entrepreneurs to share good practices of cross-border e-commerce in promoting entrepreneurship. At the meeting, expert Hong Guobin introduced the current global e-commerce development situation; Jumia and KiKUU African cross-border e-commerce platforms made introductions respectively, with KiKUU sharing the 2022 Africa cross-border hot-selling category trends; heads of several well-known cross-border enterprises shared successful experiences; and the Dean of the School of Economics and Trade of China-Egypt University introduced the development of e-commerce in Egypt.

In recent years, Shishi City has attached great importance to the development of new foreign trade formats and new e-commerce models, with a key focus on countries and regions along the “Belt and Road”. Leveraging the advantages of Shishi’s textile and apparel supply chain, the city encourages traditional foreign trade enterprises and e-commerce enterprises to carry out cross-border e-commerce import and export business, actively integrates into the new dual circulation development pattern, builds an international trade distribution center that integrates multiple formats such as cross-border e-commerce and market procurement, and fully promotes the development process of Shishi as a modern commerce and trade capital.