Reply of the State Council on Approving the Establishment of Comprehensive Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zones in the Entire Island of Hainan and 15 Cities (Regions) Including Qinhuangdao
People’s Governments of Hebei Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Liaoning Province, Anhui Province, Fujian Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan Province, Sichuan Province, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Ministry of Commerce:
We have received your request for instructions on establishing comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones. The reply is hereby given as follows:
It is approved to establish comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in the entire island of Hainan and 15 cities (regions) including Qinhuangdao City, Baoding City, Erenhot City, Dandong City, Chuzhou City, Sanming City, Kaifeng City, Xinxiang City, Ezhou City, Shaoyang City, Wuzhou City, Beihai City, Fangchenggang City, Guang’an City, and Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. The pilot zones shall be named respectively as "China (Name of City/Region) Comprehensive Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zone". The specific implementation plans shall be issued by the people’s governments of the provinces (autonomous regions) where the pilot zones are located. Meanwhile, the comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones previously established in Haikou City, Sanya City, and Alashankou City shall be abolished.
The construction of the Comprehensive Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zones (hereinafter referred to as "pilot zones") shall be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirits of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and follow the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. It shall adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and accurately implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the establishment of a new development pattern, and comprehensively deepen reform and opening-up. It shall uphold innovation-driven development, replicate and promote the mature experience and practices of existing pilot zones, give play to the positive role of cross-border e-commerce in facilitating the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and promoting industrial digitalization, drive the optimization and upgrading of foreign trade, and accelerate the building of a trading power.
It is necessary to unswervingly implement the overall national security concept, balance development and security, and adhere to regulating development in the course of development and promoting development in the course of regulation. It is required to protect the rights and interests of personal information and create a sound business environment for all market entities to participate in market competition fairly.
The people’s governments of the relevant provinces (autonomous regions) shall earnestly strengthen organizational leadership over the construction of the pilot zones, improve mechanisms, clarify divisions of labor, implement responsibilities, and promote the construction and development of the pilot zones in a robust, orderly, and effective manner. In accordance with the requirements for the pilot program, they shall improve the specific implementation plans as soon as possible and ensure their effective implementation. They shall further refine the tasks for taking the lead in trials, focus on key areas, drive development through innovation, give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, effectively guide social resources, and allocate public resources rationally to advance the construction of the pilot zones solidly.
They shall establish and improve an information-based management mechanism for cross-border e-commerce, and promptly provide relevant electronic information in accordance with the management needs of relevant departments. They shall regularly submit work plans, pilot experience, and results to the Ministry of Commerce and other departments, and strive to make new progress and breakthroughs in improving the institutional mechanisms for promoting the development of cross-border e-commerce and advancing the construction of supporting systems. Important policies and major construction projects involved in the construction of each pilot zone shall be submitted for approval in accordance with prescribed procedures.
The relevant departments of the State Council shall, in accordance with their respective functions and responsibilities, strengthen coordination, guidance, and policy support for the pilot zones, and effectively give play to the demonstration and leading role of the pilot zones. In accordance with the principle of encouraging innovation and exercising prudent and inclusive supervision, they shall adhere to goal-oriented and problem-oriented approaches, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and focus on exploring and innovating in areas such as technical standards, business processes, supervision models, and information-based construction for links related to the business-to-business (B2B) model of cross-border e-commerce. They shall study and introduce more supporting measures to create a sound environment for the development of the pilot zones and better promote and regulate the development and growth of the cross-border e-commerce industry.
They shall further improve the statistical system for cross-border e-commerce, implement supporting policies such as exemption from value-added tax and consumption tax for cross-border e-commerce retail export goods in the pilot zones in accordance with regulations, and allow enterprises to choose to adopt verified collection of enterprise income tax. For cities (regions) where the pilot zones are located and confirmed by the local customs to meet supervision requirements, the policies related to cross-border e-commerce retail import shall be automatically applicable, and enterprises shall be supported in jointly building and sharing overseas warehouses.
The Ministry of Commerce shall take the lead in conducting overall coordination, tracking and analysis, supervision, and guidance, establish and improve an assessment and withdrawal mechanism to promote the survival of the fittest, summarize and promote the pilot experience in a timely manner together with relevant departments, and report major issues and developments to the State Council promptly.
State Council
April 22, 2025
