The concept of "Silk Road E-commerce" is clearly put forward in the outline of the "14th Five Year Plan", that is, in accordance with the initiative of jointly building the "the Belt and Road", to give full play to China's advantages in e-commerce technology application, model innovation and market size, and actively promote international cooperation in e-commerce. Since then, the development of the Silk Road e-commerce has also become a continuous work of China's joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", because the Silk Road e-commerce cooperation has expanded the space for economic and trade cooperation, explored the construction of an international rule system for the digital economy, promoted the construction of a new development pattern, and injected new era connotation into the ancient Silk Road. Data shows that as of November 2023, China has signed bilateral e-commerce cooperation memorandums with 30 countries, and Silk Road e-commerce has become a new channel and highlight of international economic and trade cooperation, with partner countries covering five continents around the world.

     Not long ago, the third "the Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum announced China's eight actions to support high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road". In terms of cross-border e-commerce, China supports the construction of an open world economy, creates a cooperation pilot zone, signs free trade agreements and investment protection agreements with more countries, and comprehensively abolishes restrictions on foreign investment access in manufacturing. In the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th China International Import and Export Fair, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council expressed his support for Shanghai to build a "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone.

     The creation of a 'Silk Road E-commerce' cooperation pilot zone in Shanghai will bring more development opportunities to domestic and foreign enterprises and tangible benefits to consumers. "Zhou Lan, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said that in order to better meet consumer demand, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce will support e-commerce enterprises in laying out global supply chains, establishing global procurement centers, and localizing vertical supply chains, Better achieve "selecting the best place of origin, purchasing the best cost, and matching the best links".

     According to statistics, in 2022, Shanghai's e-commerce transaction volume reached 3.33 trillion yuan, with a total of 9 billion level e-commerce trading platforms and 17 billion level platforms in the city. The import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce reached 184.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.6%. In the first three quarters of this year, the development of cross-border e-commerce accelerated again, with a year-on-year growth rate of over 60%. There were 174 import sources and 226 export countries and regions. At present, the city's enterprises have built a total of 138 overseas warehouses with a construction area of nearly 1.8 million square meters, covering 32 countries and regions on five continents, and the ability to collect and distribute overseas goods has significantly increased.

     After creating the "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone, Shanghai will create more cooperation space for the world. In response, Zhang Xiong, Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Municipal Government, stated that Shanghai has three major advantages in creating a "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone. One is that shipping hubs have advantages. Shanghai has over 320 international routes, with container throughput ranking first in the world for 13 consecutive years, and airport cargo throughput ranking third in global cities for 15 consecutive years. The "China Europe Express Shanghai" has accumulated 150 trains. The second is reflected in the e-commerce ecosystem. As of now, Shanghai has established 5 national level e-commerce demonstration bases and 16 municipal level cross-border e-commerce demonstration parks. Global and local leading logistics enterprises have gathered to form a cross-border e-commerce international logistics service system, with the number and volume of cross-border settlement institutions ranking first in the country. Thirdly, there is an advantage in market size. The Yangtze River Delta region is the region with the most dynamic economy, the highest degree of openness, and the strongest innovation capability in China. It is an important intersection of the "the Belt and Road" and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Shanghai is the core of the Yangtze River Delta city group, with obvious advantages in trade scale.