Twenty-two cities across China, including Yiwu in East China's Zhejiang province, were chosen as new venues for comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones on July 13 by the State Council.

Yiwu is the only county-level city on the new list, becoming the third comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone in Zhejiang, after Hangzhou and Ningbo.

It is hoped that with the establishment of the cross-border e-commerce focused pilot zone in Yiwu, approval and administrative procedures in logistics, storage and custom clearance will be simplified, and supporting policies for e-commerce companies will be improved. It is also hoped that its establishment will help the city further expand its export businesses.

"We will stay problem-oriented and build an industrial chain friendly to cross-border e-commerce based on the market and projects," said Wang Birong, head of Yiwu's commerce department, adding that the main tasks for the zone will be attracting businesses and investment, and improving services, the quality of goods and supporting policies.

As the world's largest small commodities distribution center, Yiwu has a solid foundation for foreign trade and has a well-developed e-commerce industry. It has established close economic and trade ties with over 210 countries and regions around the globe.

In 2017, the trade value of Yiwu's cross-border e-commerce reached 74.76 billion yuan ($11.2 billion), up by 15.03 percent year-on-year. In the first five months of 2018, the number was 28.73 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.26 percent.

Yiwu in East China's Zhejiang province has the world's biggest small commodities market. [Photo/cztv.com]