On the morning of June 16, the 2026 China (Guangdong)–RCEP Member States CrossBorder ECommerce Exchange Event and the Launch Ceremony of the China (Guangzhou) CrossBorder ECommerce Fair were grandly held at the Guangzhou Canton Fair Complex, officially kicking off the threeday annual showcase of the crossborder ecommerce industry. This globally watched gathering brought together representatives from dozens of provincial and municipal departments — including the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, the Ministry of Commerce Foreign Trade Department, the Ministry of Commerce’s Guangzhou Office, and the China Foreign Trade Centre — along with consular officials from RCEP member states such as Australia, South Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, leaders from over 20 provincial and municipal commerce authorities, industry associations, crossborder ecommerce enterprises, and dozens of media outlets, all witnessing a vibrant moment in China’s crossborder ecommerce sector.

As an industry supporting partner of this year’s fair, GREATER BAY AREA IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION​ actively organized delegations from the “9+2” cities’ importexport chambers of commerce and leading member enterprises to participate. The Association’s secretariat attended the opening ceremony alongside government leaders, industry elites, and diplomatic representatives to jointly explore new opportunities in cross border e commerce development.

At the opening ceremony, Yao Lin, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce, shared inspiring figures: Guangdong’s cross border e commerce import export volume surged from RMB 11.3 billion in 2015 to RMB 623 billion in 2025 — a 55 fold increase over a decade, with an average annual growth rate of 49.3%, accounting for more than one third of the national total and ranking first in China. Behind these achievements lies Guangdong’s consistent drive to integrate foreign trade, investment, outsourcing, overseas economic cooperation, and talent recruitment (“Five External Linkages”), while expanding cross border e commerce partnerships worldwide, especially within RCEP economies. Leveraging its strengths as a major trading, manufacturing, and innovation hub, Guangdong is accelerating the “cross border e commerce + industrial belt” model, enhancing product quality, building brands, extending industrial chains, cultivating trillion yuan export clusters, and creating influential “Guangdong made” brands to underpin the sector’s growth.

Liang Haofei, Deputy Director of the China Foreign Trade Centre, noted that cross border e commerce, as a vital part of digital trade, strengthens international exchanges, addresses global trade shifts through openness and innovation, and promotes world economic growth through win win cooperation. Now in its fifth edition, the fair is a strategic initiative by the China Foreign Trade Centre to implement the Ministry of Commerce’s goals for building a strong trading nation, focusing on the three pillars of trade in goods, services, and digital trade, and developing a “1+N” exhibition brand matrix.

The event also saw the highprofile release of the Cross Border E Commerce (Export) Key Market Compliance Guidelines, offering authoritative compliance guidance for enterprises expanding overseas.

Upholding its mission of “serving members and connecting globally,” GREATER BAY AREA IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION​ has long played a bridging role in serving the nation’s openingup strategy and helping enterprises from the Greater Bay Area expand abroad. This delegation, comprising “9+2” local chambers and member companies, was designed to give participants direct access to global buyers, exposure to cutting edge technologies and ideas, connections across platforms, service providers, and supply chain resources, and insights from successful exporters — thereby strengthening their international competitiveness.

Within the exhibition hall, the “9+2” cities presented distinctive zones showcasing their strengths: Zhaoqing Gaoyao’s hardware industry belt, Huizhou Cross Border E Commerce Industry Alliance, Zhuhai Global Printing Consumables Industry Base, and competitive home furnishings, appliances, and consumer electronics zones from Dongguan, Foshan, and elsewhere. This city by city, region by region showcase offered a vivid snapshot of the thriving “cross border e commerce + industrial belt” model in the Greater Bay Area.

Themed “New Drivers for Foreign Trade · Digital Future,” this year’s fair reached a record scale, covering over 50,000 square meters and bringing together more than 50 cross border e commerce platforms, nearly 40 national industrial belts, over 200 service providers, and 1,000+ supply chain enterprises in Pazhou. Compared with the previous edition, the scale, number of exhibitors, and booths grew by 24.6%, 8.7%, and 15.7% respectively; participating platforms exceeded 50 for the first time, up 21.4%, achieving full coverage of major global markets. Over three days, more than 30 forums, livestreams, and targeted buyerseller matchmaking sessions will offer practical strategies and knowledge upgrades to enhance enterprises’ global expansion capabilities.

Looking ahead, the Association will fully leverage the collaborative advantages of the “9+2” Greater Bay Area cities, anchor itself in distinctive industrial belts, join forces with partners to foster new drivers for foreign trade, explore the digital blue ocean, channel diverse resources into digital trade, and continue supporting regional enterprises in deepening participation in Belt and Road and RCEP cooperation, building a global service platform for the Greater Bay Area business community.