Safe silk travels!

The National Pavilion of Belarus was opened on Chinese e-commerce platforms in the Great Stone Industrial Park. The event was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and China.

The National Pavilion of Belarus has opened on the two largest Chinese e-commerce platforms Jingdong and Douyin in the Great Stone Industrial Park. This will provide better access for Belarusian products to the Chinese market. In addition to the trading functionality of these platforms, Chinese users will be able to discover the sights, culture, traditions, nature and history of our country. The National Pavilion has already been launched in test mode.  Director General of SZAO Industrial Park Development Company Li Zhonghang shared details in an interview about new opportunities for promoting Belarusian goods in China. 

Towards the Chinese consumer

— Mr. Li Zhonghang, the promotion of Belarusian goods through Chinese platforms is, in fact, a new, more targeted method for increasing bilateral trade. What is the expected effect?
— China and Belarus have built a trusting all-round strategic partnership and mutually beneficial co-operation. Promotion of high-quality Belarusian goods on leading e-commerce platforms, cross-border e-commerce and the sale of goods through video broadcasts contribute to strengthening bilateral trade. This is an innovative model aimed at increasing trade between the two countries. The Great Stone Industrial Park is an important platform for co-operation between the two countries in various fields. The industrial park constantly promotes the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries and strives to become a new platform for bilateral trade. The Industrial Park Development Company has been formally authorised by the Belarusian government and, together with the industrial park resident, a leading Chinese e-commerce and broadcasting company registered as UJU Holding Ltd, launched Belarus national pavilions on Chinese online marketplaces. The partners are jointly developing a new model of co-operation in the field of cross-border trade between the two countries, the national pavilions of Belarus jointly operated by them on the JD.com, and Douyin platforms were launched in a test mode in May and June. The account of the National Pavilion of Belarus on the Douyin platform gained more than 28,000 subscribers in less than two months. The Belarusian products presented on the JD.com platform received a lot of positive feedback from Chinese consumers. In the future, even more high-quality Belarusian products will systematically enter the Chinese market through cross-border e-commerce, which will create new development opportunities for Belarusian enterprises. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that e-commerce is rapidly developing in China, and the successful launch of the National Pavilion of Belarus will allow the country to benefit from the development of this area. As of December 2021, there were 842 million online buyers in China. The Internet sold products worth ¥13.1 trillion. China is the largest e-commerce market in the world. More and more Chinese citizens use foreign goods in their daily lives, and the vast online market attracts suppliers from all over the world.

Photo by Yury Mozolevsky

Belarus is famous in China as ‘the country of ten thousand lakes’, and it is also called the ‘lungs of Europe’. Beautiful nature gives a variety of raw materials for excellent Belarusian products, which are known for their environmental friendliness, safety, useful properties and high quality. Promoting high-quality special Belarusian products on China’s e-commerce platforms will firstly allow many Chinese consumers to get to know the goods better and have a wider choice. Secondly, e-commerce platforms will allow Belarusian products to find their niche in the huge Chinese consumer market.
If we talk about the expected effect, then, from the point of view of short-term goals, the entry of Belarusian products to the Chinese market through officially accredited national pavilions of Belarus will allow Chinese users to gradually get acquainted with high-quality Belarusian products and form an impression about them. Assessing the effect in the long term, I note that following the optimisation of the functioning of the national pavilions at JD.com and Douyin, a permanent trading channel will be established, manufacturers of goods in Belarus will be searched, the product range will be expanded, international and domestic logistics will be improved, as well as the perception of products by consumers. All this will allow increasing the presence of Belarusian brands in China, will become an incentive for increasing the number of trade deals and advancing the development of trade relations between our two countries.

Special interest of Greater China

— What Belarusian goods attract Chinese consumers the most? Are our companies interested in this promotion opportunity?
— In the course of a detailed market research and comparative analysis, the responsible employees of the Great Stone Industrial Park found that Belarusian meat, dairy products, baby food, small snacks, cut glass and linen products are in great demand. Initially, it was food products that were presented on the platform of the National Pavilion of Belarus. These are mainly confectionery products, biscuits, potato chips, birch sap and other goods that the Chinese consumer likes. In the future, dairy products, cut glass products, household goods, cosmetics and other products will be presented on online platforms. At the same time, the National Pavilion will continuously expand the list of product categories, relying on the export of high-quality Belarusian goods to China through online e-commerce platforms.

Photo: www.static.mobile-business.by

A significant number of Belarusian enterprises, with which the Industrial Park Development Company maintains contact, are interested in the new model of cross-border e-commerce. They are also interested in the possibility of online sales through streaming, they hope that when Great Stone Industrial Park co-operates with resident enterprises on Chinese marketplaces, it will be possible to get even more opportunities to promote products, increase brand awareness, simply discover the Chinese market and achieve growth sales.

By Ilya Kryzhevich