- Exports extend strong momentum as officials deepen support for brand expansion overseas
- Taizhou hosts annual industry gathering for the first time
Zhejiang’s cross-border e-commerce exports rose 27.3% in the first four months of 2026 from a year earlier, officials said at a major industry conference on Monday, underscoring the sector’s growing role in supporting the province’s foreign trade.
The figures were released at the 2026 Zhejiang Cross-Border E-commerce Service Season, held in Taizhou, which attracted more than 1,500 participants.
The event marked the third consecutive year the province has organized the conference and the first time it has been held outside Hangzhou.
Provincial officials said cross-border e-commerce has become an important driver of efforts to stabilize and upgrade foreign trade.
Up 25% last year
Zhejiang’s cross-border e-commerce exports reached 267.8 billion yuan ($39.58 billion) in 2025, up 24.9% from a year earlier and ranking second nationally behind Guangdong.
Taizhou, the host of this year’s event, has emerged as a growing e-commerce hub. The city is home to 32 industrial clusters, each generating more than 10 billion yuan in annual output, and recorded more than 17.7 billion yuan in cross-border e-commerce exports in 2025, an increase of over 50%.
Since receiving approval as a national cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, Taizhou has been developing export-oriented industrial clusters in sectors including electromechanical products and plastic films.
In the meantime, the city is actively fostering deeper integration between manufacturing supply chains and e-commerce channels.
Guangdong leading the nation
While Zhejiang remains China’s second-largest cross-border e-commerce exporting province, it trails Guangdong by a large margin, which recorded roughly 623 billion yuan in cross-border e-commerce exports in 2025.
The southern province accounts for more than one-third of the national total. More than half of China’s cross-border e-commerce sellers are based in the province.
Industry participants said Guangdong’s lead reflects its manufacturing depth, extensive port network and long-standing export experience.
Zhejiang, meanwhile, is seeking to narrow the gap by leveraging its digital economy ecosystem and dense network of specialized industrial clusters.
