On the afternoon of 16 July 2021, the ASEAN-China Cross-Border E-Commerce and Digital Trade Forum was held in China Optics Valley Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wuhan, Hubei Province. As one of the important sub-forums of the ASEAN-China Digital Economy Development and Cooperation Forum 2021, the forum was attended by nearly 150 participants including Chinese and ASEAN government officials, experts, scholars, and representatives of science and technology enterprises and business associations.

Mr. Jiang Wei, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Wuhan Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Wuhan, Mr. Zhang Li, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce of China, Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), and Mr. Glenn G. Peñaranda, Commercial Counsellor of the Philippine Embassy in China, attended and addressed the forum.

Mr. Jiang Wei said Wuhan has unique advantages in developing cross-border e-commerce and other digital trade. In the first five months of 2021, Wuhan's import and export to AMS through cross-border e-commerce increased by 46.7 times year-on-year. The new forms and models of trade have led the steady progress of bilateral trade between Wuhan and ASEAN.

Mr. Zhang Li stated that the Chinese government attaches great importance to t and strive to optimize the development  environment for new forms and models of foreign trade, sparing no effort to promote a healthy, innovative and rapid development of cross-border e-commerce and other new forms and models of trade.

Mr. Guo Chuanwei said ASEAN and China have a solid foundation for digital economy cooperation and each has its own advantages. Although the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has not yet entered into force, both sides should make early preparations by strengthening policy communication, business cooperation, capacity building, personnel training and joint research to achieve more positive results. 

Mr. Glenn G. Peñaranda noted that Hubei Province is an important cooperative partner of the Philippines while e-commerce offers a lot of opportunities for both sides. He looked forward to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and promoting common interests.

At the forum, Chinese and foreign participants discussed the current situation and trends of cross-border e-commerce and shared experiences of international cooperation under the framework of RCEP and CAFTA.