A press conference was held in Shenyang, Liaoning province to mark the first anniversary of the establishment of China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone on April 10.

During the conference, it was announced by the city’s information office that Shenyang would start to focus on developing cross-border e-commerce.

The city will be supported by Shenyang Customs District as part of a plan to become a hub for international e-commerce, said Han Gang, vice-director general of Shenyang Customs District.

Several cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Zhengzhou have already become pilot cities for cross-border e-commerce since 2013. People in these cities can directly buy imported goods online.

In addition, the time taken for imported goods to clear customs has been shortened to less than one day under the new scheme, and Shenyang Comprehensive Bonded Zone will be moving to the China-Germany Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park with the assistance of Shenyang Customs District, added Han.