Long Shot of Beilun District Photo by Gu Liqin
Recently, Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province has announced the shortlist of the first batch of Zhejiang Digital Trade Demonstration Zone, and Beilun District (Development Zone) was successfully selected.
In recent years, the digital economy has risen strongly and become one of the economic activities with the fastest development, the most active innovation and the most extensive coverage. In 2022, the import and export volume of digital service trade in Beilun District (Development Zone) reached 4.104 billion yuan, with an increase rate of 102.07%, including digital business services (2.983 billion yuan), culture and entertainment (130 million yuan), intellectual property use (771 million yuan), computer information services (169 million yuan), financial insurance services (52 million yuan), technology trade import and export volume (USD 16.9372 million), and implementation amount of offshore service outsourcing (USD 1394.6692 million). The digital service trade volume accounted for 12.5% of the total service trade. The revenue of the core industries of digital economy was 81.47 billion yuan, and the core industry value of digital economy was 21.71 billion yuan, with an increase of 16.2% year on year, ranking first in the city. In 2022, the total import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce reached 59.77 billion yuan, of which cross-border imports reached 21.141 billion yuan, ranking first in China for six consecutive years, and cross-border exports reached 38.628 billion yuan, with an increase of 37.64% year on year.
Promote the innovation of digital trade system. Two special plans were issued, covering digital trade construction planning, industrial planning and investment promotion planning. Seven institutional innovation achievements and innovation cases were presented. A total of 19 institutional innovation cases in Ningbo district of Pilot Free Trade Zone were selected as the best innovation cases at Zhejiang provincial level. A total of 13 institutional innovation achievements were replicated and promoted in Zhejiang Province, ranking first among the four districts in the whole province. Specifically, a total of 16 cases were rated as the China’s originality by authoritative third-party organizations, and the industrial community innovation management service case was rated as one of the Top 10 innovation cases in the National Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2020-2021 by Sun Yat-sen University, making itself the only one in Zhejiang Province. A total of 233 among the 278 reform pilot cases of the Pilot Free Trade Zone at the national level have been replicated and promoted in the Ningbo district, ranking first among the four districts in Zhejiang Province.
Accelerate the construction of digital service trade industrial cluster. A number of digital service trade parks were built, including Zhejiang Pingyi Digital Economy Industrial Park, Development Zone Science and Technology Pioneer Park (National Incubator), Baidu Cloud Intelligence Big Data Industrial Park, Human Resources Export Base, Meishan Ocean Finance Town, Free Trade Zone Financial Technology (Blockchain) Industrial Park, Beilun District Digital Culture Industrial Park, and Meishan Automobile Import and Export Port. Digital trade platform enterprises based on regional industrial advantages and characteristics were cultivated and introduced, including 66 Yunlian, TradeGo, Smart Ebao, Hooya, Myaltop, and Cloud Intelligence Big Data Base, which provide important support for regional digital trade to be bigger and stronger.
Improve the ecological chain of digital service trade. The implementation of the “five major projects” of scientific and technological innovation was focused on, the innovation power was further enhanced, and the innovation ecology of scientific and technological research and development was continuously improved; Beilun District was selected as the only national human resources export base in Ningbo. It actively introduced policies, and jointly built cross-border e-commerce talent bases at the district, city and province levels to cultivate digital trade talents; It launched the “Yikuabao” financial service plan, established the Financial and Trade Center of the Free Trade Zone, and was approved to implement the high-level opening pilot of cross-border trade to improve the financial service innovation level; It actively held various exchange forums, hosted Ningbo Cross-border E-Commerce Expo, Ningbo Cross-border E-commerce Forum and other activities to promote the development of ETDZ and cross-border e-commerce industry.
In the future, Beilun District will focus on the system integration and application of digital technology in trade, and energetically build a digital trade reform source pioneer area as well as a digital trade integration service hub area featured by digital drive, innovation leading, intelligence & high efficiency, and great influences. By virtue of its regional policies, industries and functions, this district will be devoted to establishing a digital service trade industrial system, which aims to achieve one goal, build seven parks, cultivate ten industrial platforms and introduce hundreds of subjects. (Reporter: Zheng Kanxuan, Correspondent: Li Pengfei)