Chinese Vice Premier urges open e-commerce markets

BEIJING - Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on Friday called on countries throughout the world to open e-commerce markets for each other to brace for the fresh growth opportunities in emerging trade.

"On the basis of risk control, market thresholds should be lowered at the maximum level to facilitate free trade," Wang said when addressing the first Global Cross-Border E-commerce Conference in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the world should make joint efforts to set up common regulatory rules, share customs information and promote "single window" clearance.

The Belt and Road Initiative should also be propelled to help less-developed countries narrow the "digital divide," with measures to foster e-commerce professionals, according to Wang.

China's e-commerce sector has witnessed booming development. Its e-commerce exports surged 41.3 percent last year, while imports rocketed by 116.4 percent.

More than 1,000 people from 125 countries and regions attended the conference.