Customsofficerscheckcross-borderparcelsinYiwu,eastChina’sZhejiangProvinceHANCHUANHAOWhowouldhavebelieved,justafewyearsago,thatasingleonlineplatformwouldhelppeoplenavigatethroughthemanycomplexstepsofinternationaltrade?ThankstoChina-AfricaE-CommerceCo.Ltd.,thisdreamisnowareality.BorninDecember2017inChengduinsouthwestChina’sSichuanProvince,thisnewChinesecompanyhasonlyjustlaunchedthefirstandsoleplatformdedicatedtoChina-Africabusiness-to-businesse-commerceonJune6inBeijing.
WithatrilingualsupportsysteminChinese,FrenchandEnglish,theplatform,Ca-b2b,providesthefullrangeofservicesneededforinternationaltrade,coveringcontracting,payment,logistics,insurance,customsdeclarationandforeignexchangetransactions.
Thiswasmadepossiblethroughmultipleagreementswiththird-partyserviceproviderssuchasinsurancecompanyChinaTaiping,ChinaLogistics,UnionPayInternationalandIndustrialandCommercialBankofChina.
TheplatformalsoenjoystheenthusiasticsupportofseveralAfricanpartners.Sinceitscreation,ithasconcludedcooperationagreementsacrossthecontinent,includingCameroon,Ethiopia,Ghana,Nigeria,TanzaniaandZimbabwe.InMarch2018,representativesfromtheplatformwereinvitedtotheSenegaleseEmbassyinChinatoexchangeideasonthepromotionandauthenticationofcompaniesandpaymentproceduresbyUnionPay,leadingtoanagreementbetweenthetwoparties.
SuchenthusiasmcanbeexplainedbytheimpressivecommercialvolumebetweenChinaandAfrica.OnJuly4,ChenXiaodong,China’sAssistantForeignAffairsMinister,addressingtheparticipantsoftheSeventhMeetingofChina-AfricaThinkTanksForuminBeijing,saidthat“overthepast40years,economicandtradecooperationbetweenChinaandAfrica,whoseinterestsarecloselyrelated,hasmadegreatstrides.ThevolumeofChina-Africatradehasincreasedbymorethan200-fold,from$765millionin1978to$170billionin2017.ChinahasbeenAfrica’slargesttradingpartnerforseveralconsecutiveyears.ThestockofChineseinvestmentsinAfrica,whichwasoriginallyzero,todayamountsto$110billion.”
Inthelongterm,expertsalsobelievethattheBeltandRoadInitiativewillsupportthepromotionoftheAfricanUnionAgenda2063.Ca-b2bintendstoplayanactiveroleinthisregard.
“Theplatformaimstosolveproblemshinderingconventionaltrade,whichistime-consumingandinvolvescomplicatedpaymentproceduresintermsofcustomsclearance,logistics,etc.Inparticular,wearetacklingthedifficultiesfacedbysmallandmedium-sizedenterprises(SMEs)frombothChinaandAfricaintheirimport-exporttrade,”saidHouZhigang,BoardChairmanofChina-AfricaE-CommerceCo.Ltd.
Indeed,conventionaltradehasalwaysstruggledwithanumberofdifficultiesduetoitslowefficiency,highcomplexity,highcostsandlongbusinesscycle,inadditiontovarioustradebarriers.Cross-bordere-commerceistoalargeextentabletoovercometheseissues.Ca-b2bbringstogetherunderasingleroofallrelevantlinksandservices,especiallythemosttime-consumingproceduressuchascustomsclearance,paymentandlogistics.
“Theplatformcoverstheentireprocessofinternationaltrade,whichreducesthenumberofintermediatelinksandsavesbothmoneyandtime,”saidHou,addingthatthelaunchofthee-commerceplatformwillbringsecurity,convenienceandprofitabilitytoChineseandAfricancompaniesalike.
E-customsfore-commerce
AccordingtoGeLiancheng,PresidentoftheChinaCustomsBrokersAssociation,followingtherapidgrowthpatterninChina’sforeigntrade,thevolumeofcustomstransactionshasgrownphenomenally.Inall,China’sGeneralAdministrationofCustomscarriedout660millionforeigntradetransactionsinvolvinge-commercein2017.Theassociationisputtingitshopeson“Internet+customs”solutiontohelpfacilitatecustomsclearance.Essentially,thismeansleveragingtheInternettoelectronicallyprocesscustomsdeclarationsandclearanceofcross-bordere-commerce.
ThiskindofinnovationnecessarilyrequiresclosecooperationwiththecustomsadministrationsinAfricancountries,saidGe.“ChineseandAfricancustomsmustmeetmonitoringstandards,improvecoordinationmechanismsandaccelerateinformationexchangetocreateaharmoniousandcoherentenvironment,”hesaid.
InMarch2018,diplomatsfromBenin,NigerandTanzaniapaidavisittotheChinaCustomsStatisticsInformationCenterinBeijing.SimonAdovelande,Benin’sAmbassadortoChina,saidhehopesthatChinesecustomsauthoritiescanhelpupdatehiscountry’scustomsadministration,inordertoconnectthetwocountries’customssystemsassoonaspossible.Inthatrespect,theambassadorsaidhewasexpectingalotfromtheCa-b2bplatform.
Infact,theWorldTradeOrganization(WTO)haslongbeencommittedtoreducing“delaysandredtapethathinderthepassageofgoodsacrossborders.”OnFebruary22,2017,theTradeFacilitationAgreementconcludedbyWTOmemberscameintoforce,withthesupportofChinaand28Africancountries.
Inparticular,Chinaplayedanimportantroleinsupportingtheimplementationofthisagreement,thusreiteratingitscommitmenttotradefacilitation.Alongthesameline,theReporttothe19thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChinaunderlinesthatChina“willimplementhigh-leveltradeliberalizationandfacilitationpolicies.”
OntheverydayCa-b2bwaslaunched,1.39millionChinesecompanieswereverifiedandconfirmedbysixministriesasthefirstbatchofitsmembers.Nearly6millionSMEswillbecomepotentialcustomersontheplatforminthefuture.AnditisonlyamatteroftimebeforeAfricancompaniesjointhem,asspotshavealreadybeenreservedforthemontheplatform.
**Commentsto
TradeFacilitationAgreement
VECTEEZYAtthe2013NinthWTOMinisterialConferenceinBali,Indonesia,WTOmembersconcludednegotiationsonahistoricagreement:theTradeFacilitationAgreement(TFA),whichcameintoforceonFebruary22,2017,followingitsratificationbytwo-thirdsofWTOmembers.TheTFAcontainsprovisionstospeedupthemovement,releaseandclearanceofgoods.Italsoprovidesformeasurestoensureeffectivecooperationbetweencustomsandothercompetentauthoritiesontradefacilitationandcustomscomplianceissues.
TFARatificationTimelinebyAfricanCountries
2018
Benin,CentralAfricaRepublic,Djibouti,Namibia
2017
Chad,TheGambia,Ghana,Malawi,Mozambique,Nigeria,RepublicoftheCongo,SierraLeon,Rwanda,SouthAfrica,Uganda
2016
eSwatini,Gabon,Lesotho,Madagascar,Mali,Senegal,Seychelles
2015
IvoryCoast,Kenya,Mauritius,Niger,Togo,Zambia