Workers at Huamao Group promote products during a livestream. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn] 

Ningbo's imports and exports fell by 10.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the world. 

Nearly 80 percent of respondents in a survey by Ningbo Customs reported a drop in new orders from overseas. The survey polled a total of 118 local companies.

Delegates and other attendees of the "Two Sessions" currently underway in the city offered suggestions for coping with the crisis.

Zhang Liping, an official from the Ningbo municipal bureau for letters and calls, called for more efforts to help foreign trade companies expand domestically via e-commerce platforms.

Popular livestream hosts such as Li Jiaqi and Viya can sell thousands of products in just a few seconds, and cooperating with such hosts can help factories reach consumers directly, said Zhang, who is also a member of the 15th Ningbo Municipal Committee of the CPPCC. 

He also proposed launching a campaign to encourage local cadres and officials to act as hosts to promote goods such as agricultural products, clothing, home appliances, and kitchenware via live broadcasts. 

Efforts should be made to foster local livestream hosts as well in order to take advantage of the new online trend, he added.

Xu Lixun, president of Huamao Group, proposed the establishment of industrial public service cloud platforms to improve synergy among enterprises in the same industrial chain. 

Xu, who is also a member of the city's political consultative body, said for example that the local government should promote connectivity between vehicle factories and auto parts enterprises.

Ningbo is currently home to several auto makers, including SAIC Volkswagen and Geely, as well as hundreds of auto parts companies.

Xu also made the claim that digitalization and financing are key to promoting the in-depth integration of industrial chains.