Alibaba set up a pilot zone for eWTP in Malaysia earlier this year and Hangzhou is the first domestic city to accommodate a counterpart.

It has been confirmed that the Hangzhou zone will focus on new technologies like big data and artificial intelligence, new platforms and new channels. It will encourage and help e-commerce companies innovate ways of developing businesses by adopting top technologies. The initiative will also give strong support to the internationalization of domestic e-commerce platforms, as well as the bringing in of famous overseas platforms such as Amazon. To better serve the worldwide communication, a smart logistics network and a cross-border payment system are on the list of the zone's assignments.

Hangzhou is one of China's leading cities in e-commerce development. Since the China (Hangzhou) Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area was approved by the central government in 2015, the city has received over 8,000 new cross-border e-commerce companies and 13 industrial parks. From January to September this year, Hangzhou achieved a volume of $7.26 billion in cross-border e-commerce, a year-on-year increase of 27.88 percent.