The China-Japan-ROK Consumption Zone E-commerce Experience Center opened to the public on Aug 30 in the Qingdao West Coast New Area, which will serve to propel Qingdao's foreign trade sector.

The experience center, which is themed on "cross-border e-commerce + new retail", brings together trendy items from Japan and South Korea, as well as preferred brands from other countries, offering tens of thousands of imported products, including cosmetics, health care products, daily necessities, maternal and childcare products, and kitchen supplies.

The China-Japan-ROK Consumption Zone E-commerce Experience Center [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

The experience center will invite online influencers to promote sales through livestreaming shows.

"After consumers place orders for cross-border e-commerce products, the customs will conduct an online audit. After approval, cross-border products will be delivered from the bonded warehouse to consumers' homes via express delivery, or to the experience center where customers can pick them up themselves," said Yuan Ni, general manager of the China-Japan-ROK Consumption Zone E-commerce Experience Center.

According to Yuan, consumers can enjoy a tariff-free bonus of no more than 5,000 yuan ($733) for a single transaction and no more than 26,000 yuan for a whole year.

The new cross-border e-commerce platform is located in the Qingdao West Coast New Area Bonded Logistics Center, which is part of the Qingdao Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

"The Bonded Logistics Center has built a complete industrial chain integrating procurement, sales, warehouses, customs, and more," said Zhang Shuangdi, chairman of the Bonded Logistics Center.

The Qingdao West Coast New Area Bonded Logistics Center [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

Zhang said that the Bonded Logistics Center is also home to an international express center and the Qingdao cross-border e-commerce industrial park.

As COVID-19 has dealt a heavy blow to traditional trade models, cross-border e-commerce has become a major driving force for stabilizing foreign trade, said one local official.

The Qingdao West Coast New Area has recently been ramping up efforts to expand cross-border e-commerce. It has launched supporting policies and has introduced 78 e-commerce platforms, e-commerce enterprises, supply chain enterprises, and related facilitation agencies.

Official data showed that from January to July of this year, cross-border e-commerce in Qingdao West Coast New Area was valued at 940 million yuan, a 2.6-fold increase.

A customer selects products at the China-Japan-ROK Consumption Zone E-commerce Experience Center. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]