Cross-border Trade, Logistics Hub, Cultural And Tourism Industry Development, Visits By International Officials To The Shanghai Practice Ground For Global Cooperation
Cross-border trade, logistics hub, cultural and tourism industry development, visits by international officials to the Shanghai Practice Ground for global cooperation
Recently, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics organized officials who were attending the 2025 World Trade Organization (WTO) Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Policy Course (RTPC) training program at the university to conduct a visit and inspection activity in Qingpu District, Shanghai. More than 20 officials successively entered the Hongqiao "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Belt" Pilot Zone in Qingpu District, YTO Express Co., Ltd., and Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, to experience the practical scenarios of cross-border trade, logistics hubs, and cultural tourism industries.
Check-in at the "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Zone" Pilot Zone in Hongqiao: "One-stop" services earn praise from international officials
The visiting delegation's first stop was the "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Zone" Pilot Zone in Hongqiao. The staff introduced the "one-stop" government service model covering matters such as business registration, tax consultation, and compliance framework establishment, which aroused great interest among the participants.
"Businesses can receive comprehensive support here and also enjoy government services. Do they have to pay any fees?" Markhatin, a trade negotiation representative from the WTO Negotiation Division of the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, has long been handling the country's economic and trade negotiations and rule-related affairs. After learning about China's institutional innovations in opening up to the outside world, she urgently raised this question. After receiving a clear reply that "government services are free", she highly praised this as an "astonishing development".
As an important carrier for absorbing the spillover effects of the China International Import Expo and for building the Hongqiao International Open Hub, the "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Cluster" Pilot Zone takes digital economy and artificial intelligence as its main focus, providing enterprises with "from 0 to 1" cultivation services for cross-border e-commerce. "This place can offer the most concentrated and convenient cross-border business consultation services for enterprises. In the future, we hope to encourage Chinese enterprises to come here for cooperation," said Ms. Queenie, a senior foreign affairs official from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Trade of Samoa, in her praise.
Entering Yuantong Express: Global Layout and Technological Empowerment Gain High Attention
The delegation's second stop was the Yuantong Express Co., Ltd., where they had a close look at the operational center of this comprehensive international supply chain integrator. Peng Ke, the vice president and public affairs director of Yuantong Express, introduced the company's "warehouse - port - distribution" full-chain service system and stated that Yuantong's growth is a microcosm of the rapid development of China's express logistics industry.
Yuantong Express has established a business network covering 6 continents and 150+ countries and regions. It has 19 international routes and nearly 90 customs clearance capabilities at domestic and overseas ports. Its global layout has left a deep impression on officials. As one of the top 500 private enterprises in China, Yuan tong, relying on technological empowerment and ecological layout, has become an important link connecting the domestic and international markets. Its development practice has provided a vivid sample for the efficient coordination of global trade logistics.
During the communication, the officials were deeply impressed by the automation, digitalization and intelligence of Yuantong Express. They inquired in detail about the development history and experience of Yuantong Express as well as the Chinese logistics industry.
Ugyen, an official from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment of Bhutan, based on the actual situation of the country's labor-intensive industries, raised the question of "How to balance the corporate social responsibility brought by the era of artificial intelligence and technological development, and deal with the labor market?" Pengke elaborated: "The application of artificial intelligence in Yuantong is to improve overall efficiency, and the replaced employees will be trained to enter more valuable positions. Artificial intelligence is not to replace humans, but to help humans work better." This answer resonated with the officials present. Most of the officials' countries rely on labor-intensive industries as the pillar of their foreign trade and expressed their hope to conduct more cooperation and learning with Yuantong in the future. They also welcomed Chinese logistics companies represented by Yuantong to enter their countries and build a cross-border logistics bridge.
Strolling through Zhujiajiao Ancient Town: Experiencing the Unique Charm of Cultural Empowering Economy
As the final stop of the visit to Qingpu, the delegation entered Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, which is known as "The Venice of Shanghai". Here, they experienced the deep integration of Jiangnan culture and economic and trade vitality among the red tiles, white walls, small bridges and flowing water. The trainees successively visited the Planting Garden and the Release Bridge, experienced the water town cruise, and got close to the merchant culture and bridge culture imprints in the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhujiajiao Ancient Town not only preserves historical memories through 36 ancient bridges and nine centuries-old streets, but also creates new sparks of innovation by hosting special events such as "Celebrating the New Year in the Ancient Town Area" and "Coffee Culture Week", as well as through live performances like Kunqu Opera and architectural music. "I never expected to see so many modern business ideas in a historical town like this," said Tsetsegsaikhan, who had studied in Chengdu, Sichuan Province for two years and is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, excitedly. "I want to recommend the big meat dumplings from Zhujiajiao to you. They are absolutely delicious."
Many officials stated that the development model of Zhujiajiao Ancient Town has provided new ideas for their own country regarding "how to protect cultural heritage while also tapping economic value".
Assistant Minister Ruan Xiaoyun from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, after witnessing the historical and cultural heritage of the thousand-year-old water town, recounted her experience of growing up under the influence of Chinese culture as a descendant of an early Chinese immigrant family to Southeast Asia. After arriving in China, the historical buildings and cultural artworks she saw in books and on TV came vividly to her mind. She was very happy and expressed enthusiastically in fluent Chinese: "I highly appreciate the great efforts made by China and Shanghai in strengthening the dissemination of foreign culture and enhancing the competitiveness of foreign cultural trade."
This visit activity was presented in a three-dimensional manner through "on-site practice, enterprise samples and cultural empowerment", enabling the officials participating in the WTO Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Policy Training Course to have a comprehensive understanding of the vivid practices and innovative achievements of Qingpu in areas such as cross-border trade, logistics hubs, and cultural tourism industries.
Liu Suzhen, the Party Secretary of the International Organization College (Trade Negotiation College) of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, introduced that the reason why the first visit activity of the training program chose Shanghai Qingpu was that Qingpu, as an important node of the Yangtze River Delta Integration Strategy, has adopted the development path of empowering industrial upgrading through cross-border e-commerce, linking global markets through logistics networks, and activating economic potential through cultural tourism, which can provide new possibilities for trade cooperation and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The trainees can not only learn some replicable and promotable experiences for their own (region) countries, find future cooperation spaces, but also can personally experience the Chinese Jiangnan culture during the visit to the ancient town.
The 2025 World Trade Organization (WTO) Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Policy Course Training was held at Shanghai International Studies University, lasting for 8 weeks. Besides classroom learning, the school encouraged the participants to venture out of the campus and immerse themselves in experiencing China's economic development, urban construction, beautiful scenery and delicious food, and experiencing the rich and diverse Chinese culture. Subsequently, the school will also organize the participants to visit more trade scenarios such as the China International Import Expo and Zhejiang's Yiwu Trading City. Cross-border trade, logistics hubs, cultural and tourism industry development... International officials will visit the "Shanghai Practice Site" for global cooperation.
