The 2024 Shanghai Silk Road E-commerce Carnival launched on May 7. [Photo/Event Organizer]

The 2024 Shanghai Silk Road E-commerce Carnival kicked off on May 7, signaling a significant milestone in Shanghai's digital shopping landscape. Running until May 17 and supported by the Ministry of Commerce, this event features a dynamic lineup of over 50 online and offline consumer promotional activities, with a focus on enhancing international cooperation in e-commerce, particularly within the Yangtze River Delta region.

Participating in this carnival are major e-commerce platforms, import-export enterprises, livestreaming studios, shopping malls, Silk Road e-commerce national pavilions, and trade promotion agencies from countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. The diverse range of activities aims to showcase premium products, foster cultural exchanges, and create trade opportunities for Chinese consumers.

Themed activities highlighting countries such as Chile, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Italy, were unveiled during the launch event, offering a glimpse into unique products and cultural experiences from these nations. Special events like the South American Coffee Festival, the Australia-New Zealand Wine Festival, and the Southeast Asian Fruit Festival will shine a spotlight on distinctive products from partner countries.

Consumers can actively participate in the carnival through various channels, including e-commerce platforms, livestreaming, and offline markets in the Huangpu and Xuhui districts, as outlined by the event organizers. Strategic cooperation agreements were also inked to strengthen e-commerce partnerships, with Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub Group, Alibaba (Shanghai), and Silk Road e-commerce national pavilions teaming up for global shopping endeavors.

The carnival comes at a time when Shanghai's e-commerce sector is thriving, with the city recording an e-commerce transaction volume of 897.89 billion yuan ($124.27 billion) in the first quarter of this year, marking a notable 12.7 percent year-on-year increase.

Source: xinmin.cn