2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event held in Nanning

The 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event is held on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Feng Xiaohui)

The 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event was held on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

More than 300 participants, including government officials from ASEAN countries, representatives of commerce authorities from 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and representatives from e-commerce platforms, logistics and financial services, and livestreaming sectors, gathered in the city to explore cooperation in digital trade, cross-border supply chains, and empowering industries.

Hosted by the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the event included business promotion and exchanges, official designations for joint development, policy releases, and the signing of strategic agreements, resulting in a number of concrete cooperation outcomes.

China's vast market is opening up new growth opportunities for specialty products from ASEAN. Malaysia promoted its competitive industries at the event, including tropical fruits, aiming to leverage e-commerce to further expand its presence in the Chinese market. Northeast China's Jilin Province showcased its cross-border e-commerce sector and industrial foundation for exporting its distinctive agricultural products to ASEAN markets.

Zou Zhanye, director of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (left), presents a plaque of designation at the 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the organizer of the event)

In a chapter centered on connectivity, efforts to jointly develop logistics hubs and e-commerce platforms advanced in parallel, further strengthening the supply chain for ASEAN products entering the Chinese market.

China Post promoted its cross-border logistics route leveraging the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the multimodal transport system along the Pinglu Canal. Through coordinated sea and land transportation, products from major ASEAN countries can reach the Chinese market within 7 to 10 days, significantly shortening cross-border delivery times.

The China-ASEAN Initiative on Strengthening E-Commerce Cooperation Implementation Plan was released at the event.

The China-ASEAN Initiative on Strengthening E-Commerce Cooperation Implementation Plan is released at the 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the organizer of the event).

To facilitate the cross-border circulation of distinctive agricultural products, relevant parties will jointly develop the China (Guangxi)-ASEAN fruit distribution hub, strengthening Guangxi's ports, warehousing, and distribution capacity to handle large-scale imports, sorting, and distribution of ASEAN fruits and consolidate Guangxi's position as a key transit hub for ASEAN fruits entering China.

Photo shows a signing ceremony at the 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the organizer of the event)

Digital technology and financial support featured prominently at the event. Nanning promoted its strengths in AI-powered e-commerce, outlining a development model combining research and development from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with integration in Guangxi and application in ASEAN markets. The Guangxi branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China unveiled financial policies for companies engaged in ASEAN-facing cross-border trade, covering settlement, financing and risk protection.

The guests jointly launched the 2026 Silk Road Cloud Products, ASEAN Premium Goods Online Shopping Festival. Running from September through November, the festival will bring together multiple platforms, including Taobao and Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, and the China-ASEAN Mercantile Exchange. During the same period, a series of activities, including livestreams promoting quality ASEAN products and jasmine in Hengzhou of Guangxi, will be held to tap the consumption potential of both sides.

A special e-commerce exhibition area was set up at the event venue, including a livestreaming room in ASEAN languages, a display area for quality e-commerce products from ASEAN countries and China, and fruits from Guangxi.

A cross-border e-commerce livestreaming is held outside the venue of the 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the organizer of the event)

Quality ASEAN products are on display outside the venue of the 2026 China-ASEAN Silk Road E-Commerce Promotion Event on Sept. 17 in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the organizer of the event)

The event is part of broader efforts to implement the Ministry of Commerce's "Shopping in China" and Silk Road e-commerce initiatives, building on opportunities including the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 and the newly opened Pinglu Canal to deepen the China-ASEAN community with a shared future through digital trade.