This aerial drone photo taken on July 10, 2025 shows a view of Longtan Container Terminal of Nanjing Port in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Yang Suping/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 China (Guangzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Fair (CCEF) took place from August 15 to 17 in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, bringing together more than 1,000 supply chain enterprises and over 40 major cross-border e-commerce platforms from around the world.
A major highlight of this year's fair was the trendy toys section, where more than 30 brands showcased products with fashionable designs and diverse styles. This collective exhibition provided overseas buyers with a deeper insight into China's trendy toy ecosystem.
China's cross-border e-commerce sector has sustained rapid growth in recent years. A growing number of Chinese enterprises are winning over global customers with innovative, high-quality, and tech-driven products, accelerating the shift from "made in China" to "created in China".
-- Increased international participation
This year's CCEF attracted over 600 overseas exhibitors, a fivefold increase from last year. The total exhibition area exceeded 40,000 square meters, accommodating more than 60,000 attendees, up 8 percent compared to the previous session, according to the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.
Leading cross-border e-commerce platforms gathered in expanded booth areas. Amazon's Service Provider Network (SPN) featured a 470-square-meter booth. Temu, the online marketplace operated by Chinese e-commerce company PDD, occupied over 500 square meters. Chinese e-commerce platform Shein's booth covered 180 square meters. Alibaba Group consolidated its seven major platforms in a combined booth spanning more than 300 square meters.
The fair also saw growing diversity with first-time participation from emerging international platforms such as Daraz (South Asia), Rakuten France, the United Kingdom's OnBuy, the Netherlands' Bol, and Portugal's Worten, further enriching the global ecosystem.
"I came to China to find more products and suppliers, and I discovered many interesting offerings here," said Lukman Kabourga, a buyer from Burkina Faso. The first-time attendee received stacks of business cards from suppliers and promised to return next year.
At the newly launched Thailand exhibition zone, exhibitor Chutipha Santhongnon enthusiastically introduced dried fruits, snacks, and sauces to visitors. "China offers a rich variety of online platforms. While we've traditionally supplied offline restaurants, we now hope to reach consumers directly via online channels."
Zhang Yue, senior business development manager at German cross-border e-commerce platform Otto, highlighted the alignment between Chinese innovation and European demand. "European consumers highly value product quality and brand reputation. Chinese products like robots and drones are globally leading and perfectly meet local demands."
-- Popular trendy toys
Next to the 300-square-meter booth of the Puff trendy toys industry alliance, the animation, comic, game, and novel (ACGN)-inspired atmosphere was lively and engaging. The space featured black-and-white cartoon flooring, a food festival-themed backdrop, cute cat pillows, and plush seating. From colorful "ugly but cute" dolls to stress-relief squishy toys, more than 30 domestic trendy toy brands gathered here, captivating overseas buyers with innovative designs.
Zhang Mingchi, CEO of Guangzhou Puff Media Co., Ltd., said that trendy toys have become one of the most closely watched growth areas in cross-border e-commerce. At this fair, Puff gathered together over 30 high-quality trendy toy brands for a collective showcase. This approach not only increased each brand's visibility, but also gave overseas buyers a better understanding of China's trendy toy ecosystem.
Regarding target international markets, Zhang noted that Southeast Asia currently leads in shipment volume and is among the fastest-growing regions.
In terms of per-customer transaction and market maturity, Europe and North America remain at the forefront. He explained that consumers in these regions have a strong affinity for intellectual property (IP)-backed culture. Years of exposure to established toy IPs like Disney and Marvel have cultivated mature consumption habits, creating a solid foundation for original Chinese trendy toy brands to enter the markets.
Meanwhile, markets like Japan and the Republic of Korea, with their geographic and cultural proximity and high acceptance of ACGN and IP content, are also considered key targets. Emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America show significant potential due to their large young populations and rapidly growing purchasing power, Zhang added.
-- Higher value creation
China's cross-border e-commerce exports are increasingly competing on value rather than price, according to a white paper on the development trends of China's cross-border e-commerce exports for 2025 released by Amazon Global Selling on August 15.
The white paper introduced the "top 50 innovative export brands in 2025" and highlighted four key characteristics of product innovation within the sector: strong independent innovation capabilities with enhanced investment, advantages in cutting-edge technologies, consumer-centered innovation value, and accelerated application of artificial intelligence.
"With the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce, more Chinese enterprises are winning over global customers with innovative, high-quality, and tech-driven products, accelerating the shift from 'made in China' to 'created in China'," said a CCEF organizer.
In the first half of 2025, China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports totaled about 1.32 trillion yuan, increasing 5.7 percent year on year, continuing to outpace the overall foreign trade growth. Among them, exports grew 4.7 percent to about 1.03 trillion yuan, while imports rose 9.3 percent to roughly 291.1 billion yuan, showed preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's first comprehensive pilot zone for cross-border e-commerce. Over the past decade, the country's cross-border e-commerce trade has expanded rapidly, with its share in total goods trade rising from less than one percent in 2015 to 6.2 percent in 2024. Cross-border e-commerce has become a major engine driving the transformation and upgrading of China's foreign trade.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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