Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs develop cooperation in the field of e-commerce with the support of UNIDO

May 31, 2017

On 24 May 2017, a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs in the field of e-commerce concluded a three-day visit to Moscow.

The visit of PRC e-commerce sector leaders and representatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was organized in conjunction with the Business Forum “Russia-China cooperation in the field of cross-border e-commerce” and the Russia-China B2B workshop on e-commerce that took place on 22 May 2017. The events were organized by UNIDO in cooperation with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Russian Export Center (REC).

The events provided an opportunity for 70 Chinese and more than 200 Russian participating companies to establish business contacts and discuss prospects for cooperation in the field of cross-border e-commerce between the two countries. The discussions focused on information exchange, search for new solutions in the area of e-commerce, definition of common approaches to the sector development.

Welcoming remarks to the participants were made by Mr. CHEN Zhou, the Vice Chairman of the CCPIT, Mr. Vladimir Padalko, the Vice President of the Chamber of the Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Mr. Evgeny Ryzhov, the Director of the Department of internal trade, light industry and consumer market development of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, representatives of the UNIDO headquarters, PRC Embassy in the Russian Federation, and Mr. Petr Fradkov, the CEO of the Russian Export Center.

Presentations were delivered by Chinese speakers – representatives of Alibaba, Sinopec, Ruston, Wangji Group, and Russian speakers – Mr. Valentin Okunev, Vice-President, Regional Director of International Business Division, ‎VTB 24, Mrs. Maria Gracheva, CEO of Yandex.Money, representatives of e-commerce associations, and the Director of UNIDO Centre for International Industrial Cooperation, Mr. Sergey Korotkov.

In his speach Mr. Korotkov noted that the number of Russian companies represented on the electronic marketplaces is still limited. According to him, “the lack of information, the absence of innovative methods and instruments to resolve issues of e-business are creating serious obstacles for the companies and organizations to enter the e-market. In this regard, UNIDO recognizes the importance and the need of economic empowerment of BRICS countries and supports the efforts towards creating mechanisms for technological upgrading and knowledge transfer between BRICS countries”. He also emphasized that “an intensive e-commerce development creates the necessary preconditions for transformation of the existing economy into an “electronic” economy, thus significantly enhancing the capacities not only of large business, but also of individual, small and medium entrepreneurship, and producing a positive impact on the economy growth as a whole, its structural changes, the employment rate and the income of the population”.

During the visit on 23 May 2017 a meeting was held between the Chinese entrepreneurs and representatives of the Department of internal trade, light industry and consumer market development of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.

On the same day a cooperation agreement was signed on the premises of the International Centre for Scientific and Technical Information between the Global Science and Technology Innovation Centre, established on the basis of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and UNIDO Centre in the Russian Federation. The document foresees enhancement of interaction between the two parties within the framework of the project for the creation of a global innovation network on inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

On 23 and 24 May with the support of UNIDO Centre in the Russian Federation and the REC a number of meetings with Russian companies and associations interested in the development of e-commerce with China were organized for the delegation members.

The events were held as part of the interregional project “Promote the development and cooperation of SMEs between China and other BRICS countries through e-commerce development”.