China issues new e-commerce guidelines to align with international standards

The Chinese government has issued guidelines to advance the development of the country’s e- commerce sector and pursue global product quality standards.

The proposed 16-point guidelines are structured around 5 major objectives. These include deepening the integration of the digital and traditional economies, with a particular focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and rural development.

They also aim to strengthen technological innovation and enhance openness to international commerce, alongside efforts to promote greater platform accountability, supervision and regulatory compliance.

Despite outlining some objectives, such as “supporting e-commerce enterprises to settle in Sino-foreign SME cooperation zones” and “coordination of domestic and international rules in areas such as personal information protection and cross-border data flow,” the document does not reveal how they will be executed, how much will be invested or the deadline for the actions to be implemented.

Better international routes

To accelerate institutional opening-up, the guidelines promote the selective expansion of the “Silk Road E-commerce” cooperation pilot zone, launched in 2024 to create a multi-regional e- commerce by advancing regulatory innovation and cooperative frameworks among participating countries. The measure also emphasizes strengthening sea, air, rail and multimodal infrastructure.

“The 36 ‘Silk Road E-commerce’ partner countries span 5 continents, and cross-border e- commerce imports and exports account for over 6% of total goods imports and exports, with continued deepening of open cooperation,” says the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

International standards

The guidelines seek to expand cross-border digital trade through stronger policy coordination, industry partnerships and local-level collaboration.

China has introduced measures to promote the development of high-quality cross-border e- commerce pilot zones, supported by integrated trade and logistics models that combine sourcing, fulfillment and transport. This includes integrating cross-border e-commerce into the China-Europe freight train, a service launched in 2011 to transport goods between the regions.

In addition, Chinese officials want platforms to implement more transparent rules, ensure legal compliance, adopt more reasonable fees for SMEs, and strengthen data and network security.

The document focuses on better using data as an economic asset by improving data sharing, developing high-quality datasets, and strengthening cross-border data flows and security. It also advises companies on how to use data to innovate, while enhancing government coordination and monitoring systems.

“By 2025, the R&D (research and development) intensity of major e-commerce platforms will exceed 8%, and the country’s cloud computing and big data service revenue will grow by 13.6%, becoming a new driving force for cultivating new productivity,” adds an official source.

EU-China trade relations

The guidelines were issued following a visit by European Union lawmakers to China, who recently traveled to Beijing and Shanghai. The visit marked the first parliamentary delegation to China in 8 years and served as an opportunity to address shared digital and e-commerce challenges.

In November 2025, the EU removed the €150 ($175.42) customs duty relief on low-value goods entering the region, with the measure set to take effect in 2028. This rule is expected to have a significant impact on Chinese imports, as 91% of items valued at €150 ($175.42) or less in 2024 were imported from China, according to data from the EU Commission.

The Commission expressed concerns not only about competition but also about noncompliance with EU product safety and consumer protection requirements, such as ensuring the quality and safety of materials and proper record-keeping and reporting.

Chinese pet e-commerce market

In 2025, China’s pet e-commerce market surged to $12.8 billion (€11.78B), up 20.4% year-over- year after a flat 2024, according to a report by market research firm WPIC Marketing + Technologies.

This growth was driven by rising pet ownership among young urban consumers, increasing humanization of pets and a growing willingness to invest in premium nutrition and healthcare, the firm says.

Notably, pet dogs and cats were the fastest-growing subcategories on the social media and e- commerce platform Douyin, with growth exceeding 300% and 340%, respectively. Parrots, hamsters and rabbits were also popular purchases on Douyin and Tmall, an e-commerce platform from Alibaba Group.

Overall, pet food holds the largest market share in China’s pet industry at 53.7% in 2025, according to PaiDu Pet Industry Big Data Platform. By 2027, the Chinese pet market is estimated to exceed ¥400 billion ($56B/€51.5B), according to KPMG projections.