CBEC for Development

We are a pioneering group dedicated to promoting cross-border e-commerce and collaboration between China and Belt and Road countries. Our journey began in 2016 when Professor Zhou Deyi of Huazhong Agricultural University led a group of students to a farm camp, sparking curiosity about the potential of e-commerce to impact rural communities.

This curiosity was further ignited during classroom discussions at Huazhong Agricultural University and visits to e-commerce giant Alibaba’s headquarters. Through exploratory journeys across China and serendipitous experiences, Professor Zhou’s focus crystallized, leading him to initiate the first International CBEC Forum in Wuhan in 2018.

Since then, we have organized four more pioneering CBEC Forums in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China, bringing together participants from over a dozen countries. Our forums have facilitated robust discussions, fostered partnerships, and catalyzed research, training and entrepreneurship initiatives in the CBEC space.

Some of our key achievements include:

• Launching the Sino-Pak CBEC Association in 2019 to promote mutually beneficial e-commerce ties
• Organizing a series of hands-on workshops and trainings on e-commerce platforms like Taobao, Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress
• Establishing the Belt and Road Center for Rice Technology Extension and Training in 2021
• Releasing the International Cross-Border E-Commerce Journal Entreprenurship for Sustainability (EFS)

Moving forward, we aim to shift from discussion to action, with key focus areas being micro-finance experiments in Kenya and promoting e-commerce adoption for agricultural machinery and tools, and implementing the TaoBao village model to tranform rural economies in the Belt and Road countries.

Looking ahead, sustainability will be central to our work. Our initiatives will focus on empowering rural communities through eco-conscious e-commerce models that conserve resources and alleviate poverty. Training programs will integrate sustainability principles to cultivate an eco-friendly mindset. We strive to pioneer a just and equitable e-commerce landscape by expanding engagement on issues like renewable energy, food security and climate change. By making sustainability core to our collaborations, we aim to drive an ecologically sustainable and socially responsible vision of the future.

Our story illustrates how curiosity, perseverance and collaborations can unlock the potential of e-commerce to drive trade, development and prosperity. We invite interested researchers, academicians, entrepreneurs and policymakers to join our community as we continue on this journey.

GET IN TOUCH

Cross-Border Ecommerce Research & Practice

College of Economics and Management

Huazhong Agricultural University,

Wuhan, 430070, China

zdy@mail.hzau.edu.cn