Cooperation in delta will spur growth

Shanghai aims to further enhance cooperation with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces in key areas including e-commerce, agricultural products, logistics and exhibitions.

In order to boost high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta region, officials from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui signed a memorandum of understanding on market system integration in Shanghai yesterday.

Wang Bingnan, vice minister of commerce, said at the signing ceremony that the Yangtze River Delta region is one of the most dynamic, open and innovative regions in China.

Wang added that it is important to promote the integration of the market system in the region.

According to the MOU, Shanghai will work with the three provinces to deepen business cooperation in four key areas.

They will expand the application of e-commerce, accelerate the development of cross-border e-commerce, better allocate resources, and collaborate on talent training.

Anhui and Jiangsu will deepen strategic cooperation with key e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, JD.com and Suning. 

Shanghai, Hefei, Ningbo and Suzhou will learn from Hangzhou’s experience in setting up a cross-border e-commerce pilot zone. 

Anhui will further enhance the coverage of e-commerce in rural areas.

In terms of agricultural products, they will set up an alliance to improve production and sales.

A 2018 sales fair in the Yangtze River Delta region attracted a total of 335 suppliers and nearly 300 buyers. The amount of intended purchases reached 575 million yuan (US$83.7 million). 

Shanghai will also further improve the efficiency of logistics across the region.

Efforts will be made to actively promote standardization and environment-friendly logistics, in order to avoid damage to goods, reduce logistics costs and improve transportation efficiency.

They will also work together to promote the development of key exhibitions, in particular the China International Import Expo.

For the 2nd China International Import Expo, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui will jointly ensure a service guarantee and build a trading platform. 

Preparations such as planning, trade and investment support activities will be made together.