What happened
At a State Council Information Office press conference on September 7, Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong announced plans to cultivate leading digital trade enterprises with strong innovation and international competitiveness, and to support their expansion into global markets.
The ministry will also encourage the growth of small and medium-sized digital trade firms with high export orientation and unique competitive advantages, guiding them along a 'specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative' development path.
The fifth Digital Trade Expo, themed 'Meet AI Future at the Digital Trade Expo', will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to 27, with AI companies making up over one-third of exhibitors and a dedicated Token zone.
Why it matters
These measures aim to leverage digital technologies like AI, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain to accelerate digital trade growth, which has become a significant contributor to China's high-quality foreign trade development.
The expo's focus on AI and the establishment of a Token zone highlight the increasing importance of AI in trade, reflecting broader trends in digital transformation and the global push for technological innovation.
By fostering both large leaders and agile SMEs, and by using a national guidance fund to attract private capital, China seeks to strengthen its digital trade ecosystem and enhance its international competitiveness.
Key facts
China's digitally delivered services trade grew at an average annual rate of 11.2% from 2016 to 2025, 1.8 percentage points higher than the global average.
In 2025, cross-border data flow reached 142.3 exabytes (EB), up 14.9% year-on-year, with enterprise data flow at 88.06 EB, up 16.2%.
From January to July of this year, AI enterprise exports grew by 156%, and AI orders account for over half of pre-contracted orders at the upcoming expo.
What to watch next
The implementation of supportive policies for digital trade, including measures to promote exports of remote medical services, online education, and cloud office solutions.
The outcomes of the Digital Trade Expo, including the World AI Open Source Competition finals, which will feature 20 projects selected from nearly 3,000 entries by over 14,000 developers from 91 countries and regions.
The development of 'cloud economy' and 'platform economy' models, as well as the international expansion of Chinese digital cultural products like online literature, games, and animations.