The 2018 Amazon Global Selling summit is held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on Dec 6. [Photo/zj.zjol.com] 

The 2018 Amazon Global Selling summit was held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on Dec 6, in a further step for the cooperation between the global e-commerce giant and the city after the memorandum of understanding inked by them last July. 

The summit, having been held three times previously, is now one of the world's most influential events for cross-border e-commerce companies. It is the first time that the summit has been held in Ningbo. 

Around 400 high-end domestic manufacturers and over 10,000 sellers engaged in business negotiations at the summit. 

"The summit will help realize the potential for the city's cross-border e-commerce export, boost its foreign trade and private economy, and help the local companies go global," said an official from the port and anti-smuggling office of the Ningbo government. 

Ningbo has been witnessing rapid growth in its cross-border e-commerce transactions over the years. Statistics show that the city's total cross-border e-commerce imports and exports reached over $13.41 billion in the first ten months of the year, up 90.74 percent year-on-year and ranking first in the nation in cross-border e-commerce transactions.

The China (Ningbo) Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area, established in the city three years ago, is now seen as being prominent among China's 35 such pilot zones, playing a vital role in driving the growth for local cross-border e-commerce business. 

Companies in the area have registered 25,000 accounts on international e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, opening over 15,000 stores and creating over 80,000 jobs. 

Amazon also announced its two newly-opened overseas divisions, in India and Middle East respectively, at the summit, expanding the countries and regions it operates in to 12 currently, and both of which will be free for Ningbo companies to operate in.

Workers prepare the goods at the Ningbo Free Trade Zone on Nov 8 for the Double Eleven shopping festival that falls on Nov 11. [Photo/IC]

The cross-border e-commerce experience center in the Ningbo Free Trade Zone [Photo/zj.zjol.com]