Containers loaded with clothes and hardware accessories are loaded onto a Vietnamese container ship at Xiamen Port. [Photo/WeChat account: xiamen_swj]
A Vietnamese container ship loaded with clothes and hardware accessories departed from the Xiamen Port in Xiamen, Fujian province on June 10 and would arrive at the south port of Manila, the Philippines two days later, marking the launch of the first e-commerce express shipping route.
Ships commuting along this e-commerce express shipping route only dock at Xiamen Port in China and Manila in the Philippines, enabling the fast delivery of e-commerce goods between the two ports in both countries.
This e-commerce express route also provides a series of services for e-commerce enterprises. For example, the e-commerce containers are allowed to enter the terminal seven days before the ship's expected berthing time and A-level quality containers will be provided.
The e-commerce express shipping route was initiated with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership member countries in Southeast Asia, and will be promoted to other regions in Europe, the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea, to form a large-scale and standardized service system to ensure the stability of the industrial chain and the supply chain.
In recent years, Xiamen has been bolstering its efforts to develop the cross-border e-commerce industry and has made fruitful achievements.
In 2021, Xiamen achieved 8.55 billion yuan ($1.27 billion) in the cross-border e-commerce import and export volume, an increase of 207 percent compared with the previous year, and delivered nearly 26 million pieces of imported and exported goods.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
