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A foreign contestant introduces her project at the 2020 International E-commerce Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition in Shaoxing on Dec 22. [Photo/WeChat account: sxsswj]

The 2020 International E-commerce Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition was held in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, on Dec 22.

Winners of regional qualification contests in China, Europe, the Middle East, and North America participated in roadshows and presented their projects, which involved artificial intelligence, internet of things, and high-end manufacturing.

A poster for the 2020 International E-commerce Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition. [Photo/WeChat account: sxsswj]

Sheng Qiuping, director-general of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, said the competition is key to the province's e-commerce industry and digital economy.

Zhejiang is home to over 400 specialized industrial parks for e-commerce and over 7 million people work in the industry. Shaoxing alone has registered over 2,200 e-commerce companies, and on Nov 24, the city approved 13 municipal cross-border e-commerce academies.

From January to September, cross-border e-commerce generated 1.26 billion yuan ($192.9 million) in exports, up 51.5 percent year on year. This growth rate is the third highest among cities in Zhejiang.

"We are facing a shortage of e-commerce professionals with the industry's rapid growth," said a spokesperson for the municipal commerce bureau.

The competition was first held four years ago and has brought in over 1,000 innovative projects, around 40 of which have received investment and already launched.