Creating a Sustainable Policy Framework for Cross-Border E-Commerce in China

Weihua Su,Lan Qian,Tomas Baležentis,Dalia Streimikiene,Shouzhen Zeng,Yuying Wang

doi:10.3390/su11040943

Abstract

This paper aims to adapt the social network analysis method to explore the characteristics of 59 cross-border e-commerce policies promulgated by the Chinese government from January 2013 to July 2018. On this basis, the paper quantitatively analyzes the internal structure and dynamic layout characteristics of sustainable cross-border e-commerce policy documents focusing on three dimensions: policy service contents, policy regulatory targets, and policy measures. The results suggest that policies involving service contents lack long-term strategic planning, especially those related to taxation and warehousing. In addition, policies regarding service system construction and demonstration construction follow an upward trend, whereas policies related to international cooperation and risk monitoring are less prevalent. Finally, it is suggested that the government pays attention to the supervision of payments, transactions, and goods in the early stage of development, but began conducting comprehensive supervision over all aspects of the cross-border e-commerce supply chain in 2015. Thus, there has been a relatively mature regulatory system established in China with particular attention to the aspects of quality and safety.

Highlights

The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce has become a new momentum driving the growth of commerce foreign exchange payment business from Alipay (China)’s foreign trade
Promoting the sustainable development of cross-border e-commerce has become an important goal pursued by policymakers in China [4,5,6,7]
The objective of this paper is to identify the major trends in regulation of cross-border e-commerce in China by applying robust quantitative methodology

Summary

Introduction

The rapid development of cross-border e-commerce has become a new momentum driving the growth of China’s foreign trade. What is more, these trends have stimulated the transformation and upgrading of traditional foreign trade modes in multiple dimensions of sustainability [1,2,3]. The supervision of cross-border e-commerce involves more than 10 government agencies, such as customs, inspection and quarantine, tax, and industry and commerce offices. This requires developing a collaboration mechanism among the agencies, especially in terms of excessive supervision and negligence [9,10,11,12]. Establishing and improving the cross-border e-commerce policy system is a prerequisite for a sustainable e-commerce and the economy in general

Objectives

Results

Conclusion