Ningbo Customs officials inspect imported goods. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province has emerged as a national hub for cross-border e-commerce since the 18 National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Over the past 10 years, nearly 600 million people from all over the country, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, have purchased goods through cross-border e-commerce platforms in Ningbo, with consumers in the Yangtze River Delta accounting for more than half of the total, official statistics show.

In 2012, Ningbo was listed as one of the first five cities in China to pilot cross-border e-commerce services.

Four years later, the State Council approved the establishment of the China (Ningbo) cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone.

From 2018 to 2020, Ningbo topped the nation in both bonded cross-border ecommerce import transaction volume and aggregate value.

On Nov 11 2021, Ningbo became China's first city to see cross-border e-commerce retail imports top 100 billion yuan ($15.38 billion).

The imports are mainly from countries including Australia, the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

Cosmetics, health care products, and maternal and infant products are among the most popular categories of goods, and Tmall International, Kaola Global, JD.com and Suning are the most popular cross-border online shopping channels among customers.