Tibetan specialties are being sold via livestreaming at the 5th China Xizang Tourism and Culture Expo in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, June 18, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHIJIAZHUANG - China's cross-border e-commerce sector achieved a historic milestone in 2024, with annual exports surpassing 2 trillion yuan ($278.59 billion) for the first time, according to data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The sector's exports grew 16.9 percent year-on-year to reach 2.15 trillion yuan in 2024, while total cross-border trade volume hit 2.71 trillion yuan.

In recent years, China's cross-border e-commerce has developed rapidly and has played a positive role in expanding international markets, breaking through traditional trade barriers, and simplifying transaction processes, noted Cai Junwei, an official with the GAC at the 2025 China Langfang International Economic and Trade Fair which opened on Monday.

The United States was China's largest export market in the sector, accounting for 36.2 percent of the total cross-border e-commerce exports last year. Britain and Germany followed with 11.7 percent and 5.7 percent respectively. On the import side, US products led with a 15.8-percent market share, trailed by Japan and Germany, which took up 10.5 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively.

Consumer goods still dominated trade flows, representing 97.5 percent of the country's total cross-border e-commerce exports in 2024.

Cai added that the sector's strong performance came as China's economy continued to recover and demonstrated robust resilience in goods trade despite external pressures.