Digital Silk Road Promotes E-commerce Between China & Pakistan

Digital trade in China expanded vigorously in recent years. According to the data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the scale of China’s digital economy rose by 4.1 trillion U.S. dollars, with an average annual compound growth rate of 14.2 % from 2016 to 2022. It would not be wrong to say that China’s digital trade has provided several business opportunities and even infiltrated fresh hope into countries along the Belt and Road. China launched the Digital Silk Road to keep up with the digital transformation trends. It is pertinent to mention here that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) technology dimension stretches from the ocean floor to outer space. It enables artificial intelligence, big data applications, and other strategic internet solutions as well. China established the Digital Silk Road cooperation mechanism with 16 countries back in November 2022. It even progressed the Silk Road E-commerce bilateral cooperation mechanism with 26 countries, including Pakistan.

China’s Digital Silk Road: Reshaping Global Trade

Kashan Khan is a Pakistani doctoral student at Tianjin University in north China’s Tianjin Municipality. He ordered vegetables and meat for cooking before sleeping on a shopping app on his mobile phone. He thought he would pick up the goods on the way to the dormitory the next day. He was quite busy with scientific research, and online shopping helped save a lot of time for him. According to Kashan:

“The online shopping in China is convenient. I don’t have time to go to shopping malls or markets. I can buy everything I need online, even the flowers for my girlfriend,”

He even said that he has lived in China for seven years. He saw the rapid development of e-commerce, mobile payment, and artificial intelligence in China by himself. He always hoped that Pakistan could promote a digital economy like China and that people in his hometown could benefit from this economic mode. His wish has come true as the Digital Silk Road is promoting e-commerce between Pakistan and China.

Samoyed Cloud Technology is a Chinese scientific and technological firm focused on artificial intelligence, big data, mobile Internet, and cloud computing. It tapped into the extensive potential of the market of Pakistan’s digital economy and launched the e-commerce platform EZTRADER. The firm aims to provide digital trade services for local retailers importing Chinese products. According to Lin Jianming, chairman and CEO of the company:

“Chinese products are popular in Pakistan. Since the platform EZTRADER was launched in May of this year, it has attracted more than 3,000 local retailers, completely exceeding our expectations”

Muhammad Rizwan, a 35-year-old retailer of mobile phone accessories in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, settled in EZTRADER very easily after it was launched. He says that E-commerce platforms provide a centralized space where businesses can connect, bargain, and conduct transactions. In this way, you will not have to search for potential partners or clients separately. It will help to trade directly with manufacturers or suppliers in China without mediators. It can greatly reduce the cost.

Now, let’s talk about Alibaba.com. We all know that it is an online business-to-business marketplace for global wholesalers under the Alibaba Group. It has launched foreign trade business in many countries along the Belt and Road. Pakistan surpassed a large number of overseas wholesalers on the platform. Reports claim that the annual growth rate of the number of Pakistani wholesalers was over 64% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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