China (Hangzhou) Cross-Border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area is China's first pilot area for cross-border e-commerce. [Photo/IC]

By strengthening its cooperation with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, China's first pilot area for cross-border e-commerce, located in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, has been transforming itself into a strategic hub along the digital Silk Road.

A cluster of platforms for global e-commerce, China (Hangzhou) Cross-Border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area is now home to 810 companies that specialize in cross-border e-commerce. According to statistics, quality products from over 100 countries have been imported to China and in turn products made here have been exported to more than 200 global countries and regions via cross-border e-commerce platforms headquartered in Hangzhou.

Over the past four years, the pilot area has established commercial ties with BRI countries in sectors including digital technology, online trading, and industrial matchmaking. To expand further, companies in the city are turning to the Belt and Road Initiative market for the export of capital, technology and products.

US e-commerce giant Amazon's Global Selling program comes to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on April 10. [Photo/IC]

AliExpress, a global retail platform under the umbrella of Alibaba Group, has become the largest e-commerce platform in Russia and is expanding its presence in Europe and South America. Online retailer JollyChic, operated by Jolly Information Technology Co Ltd based in Hangzhou, is now the biggest mobile e-commerce platform in Middle East region. Club Factory, a Chinese e-commerce website with 70 million users globally, is the third largest among its counterparts in India.