Retail giants Walmart, Alibaba and Amazon draw crowds at Shenzhen e-commerce fair, raising hopes of strong post-pandemic rebound

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Hundreds of retailers flocked to the expo in the hopes of connecting with producers and suppliers and stocking up for what they hope is a bout of robust recovery in the global economy

Local governments in China have ramped up efforts to boost cross-border e-commerce, establishing pilot zones in dozens of cities

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More than 100,000 visitors are estimated to have attended the three-day China (Shenzhen) Cross-border E-commerce Fair. Photo: Iris Deng

Iris Ouyangin Hong KongandIris Dengin Shenzhen

Published: 2:30pm, 24 Feb 2023Updated: 2:49pm, 24 Feb 2023

Hundreds of e-commerce vendors and platforms including Alibaba Group Holding and Amazon flocked to a trade fair in Shenzhen in the hopes of connecting with producers and clients and stocking up for what they hope is a bout of robust post-Covid recovery in the global economy.

The American retail juggernaut Walmart was also in attendance at the event, one of the first major in-person exhibitions to be staged in the city since China reopened its international borders.

More than 100,000 visitors are estimated to have attended the three-day China (Shenzhen) Cross-border E-commerce Fair which ended on Friday, about the same number as the last time the event was held, in 2021.

That surpassed the expectations of the organisers and many of the exhibitors, providing a much needed confidence boost for Shenzhen, a technology hub in the Greater Bay Area, and for the country in general.

China is trying to get back on its feet after economic growth slowed to 3 per cent last year, the slowest since 1976 when excluding the 2.2 per cent gain in 2020 when the coronavirus first emerged.