Part 3
Current Situation of Cross-Border E-Commerce in China
Warming-up
Learn the following words and expressions and write down their Chinese meanings.
(1) import
(2) export
(3) global trend
(4) economic growth
(5) free trade zone
(6) bonded area
(7) development countermeasure
Listening
Listen to the following sentences and fill in the blanks.
(1) China is a ______________ for cross-border e-commerce especially within its growing middle class.
(2) China's cross-border e-commerce market saw ______________ trillion yuan transactions in 2018, over 20% of which are ______________ sales.
(3) With the rapid development of ______________ e-commerce and push of the government, cross-border e-commerce has developed into a new form of ______________ trade in China.
(4) We outlined several recommendations for foreign companies who are planning on entering into China's market ______________ CBEC.
(5) China's cross-border e-commerce industry has demonstrated ______________ development thanks to the implementation of appropriate policy support and the progressive establishment of e-commerce platforms.
Speaking
Jason is from America and Lee is a Chinese. They met each other on a conference, and they were talking about China's cross-border e-commerce developing situation. Work in pairs to ask and answer questions with the underlined materials.
Lee: Nice to see you in China again, Jason!
Jason: Oh, Lee, nice to see you, too. It's my pleasure to be here. You know, China's development in cross-border e-commerce has been really (1) outstanding.
Lee: Exactly. Our cross-border e-commerce market has seen a great increase in recent years.
Jason: This morning, (2) the case shared by the representative from Alibaba is just amazing.
Lee: I do believe in the near future China can get further development(3) since the international payment and logistics provided by Alibaba Group is in a leading place.
Jason: And there are many other companies which also joined the Chinese CBEC market, with different modes of operation, right?
Lee: Yes. Besides B2B mode led by Alibaba, there have been (4) modes of B2C, C2C, O2O, etc. in the CBEC field in China.
Jason: Even though it sounds like there's a high-intensity competition, I do believe the development of China's cross-border e-commerce will become better and better.
Reading
China's Cross-Border E-Commerce Takes off
Welcome to the amazing and efficient world of Chinese cross-border e-commerce.
In this world, local brands may not boast, but their influence and sales volume could stoke both envy and awe in marketing giants.
Thanks to cross-border e-commerce, small and medium-sized Chinese enterprises now receive consulting services for enterprise development strategy and operating models, as well as tailor-made solutions for business expansion at different stages.
“China's cross-border e-commerce is thriving, which brings huge opportunities for Chinese enterprises. But it also brings new issues and challenges. By leveraging Amazon's global network and resources, we could provide customized solutions to meet the needs of Chinese sellers and cultivate cross-border e-commerce talents in China,” says Dai Jingfei, vice-president of Amazon China.
In 2017, sales revenue from third-party sellers on Amazon's online marketplace accounted for 50 percent of global sales, among which the small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for over 25 percent of Amazon's overall third-party businesses.
“Amazon's global logistics network across 185 countries and regions has helped to establish an effective ‘Online Silk Road’ for Chinese enterprises going global,” Elaine Chang, president of Amazon China, said in an earlier interview with China Daily.
Words ＆ Expressions
1. Words
boast /bəʊst/ v. 自夸
awe /ɔː/ n. 敬畏
giant /ˈdʒaɪənt/ n. 巨人；大公司
medium-sized /ˈmiːdiəm ˈsaɪzd/ adj. 中型的
consult /kənˈsʌlt/ v. 咨询
enterprise /ˈentəpraɪz/ n. 企业
tailor-made /ˌteɪlə ˈmeɪd/ adj. 量身定做的
expansion /ɪkˈspænʃn/ n. 扩展
stage /steɪdʒ/ n. 阶段
thrive /θraɪv/ v. 繁荣
leverage /ˈliːvərɪdʒ/ v. 利用
customized /ˈkʌstəmaɪzd/ adj. 定制的
cultivate /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ v. 培养
revenue /ˈrevənjuː/ n. 收益
third-party /ˌθɜːrd ˈpɑːrti/ adj. 第三方的
smite /smaɪt/ v. （使）着迷
digital /ˈdɪdʒɪtl/ adj. 数字的
foreign-based /ˈfɒrən ˈbeɪst/ adj. 国外的
2. Expressions
sales volume 销量
account for 占（比例）
Silk Road 丝绸之路
China Daily 《中国日报》
Exercises
Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
(1) Which of the following is becoming increasingly influential in Chinese cross-border e-commerce world? ______________.
A. marketing giants
B. local brands
C. local companies
D. small and medium-sized enterprises
(2) Small and medium-sized Chinese enterprises can now receive a lot of support from e-commerce, including ______________.
A. consulting services for enterprise development strategy
B. consulting services for enterprise operating models
C. solutions for business expansion at different stages
D. all of the above
(3) To meet the opportunities and challenges of Chinese cross-border e-commerce, Amazon can do a lot except ______________.
A. using Amazon's global network and resources
B. providing customized solutions to meet the needs of Chinese sellers
C. using foreign-based digital buyers
D. cultivating cross-border e-commerce talents in China
(4) According to Elaine Chang, president of Amazon China, how to understand the “Online Silk Road”? ______________.
A. It is an effective cross-border e-commerce concept for Chinese enterprises to go global through the Internet
B. It is the same as the “Silk Road” in ancient China
C. It is a wrong idea used in an earlier interview with China Daily
D. It is a concept newly invented by Elaine Chang herself