A source from the Management Committee of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone (ZAEZ) revealed that the zone recorded 34.779 billion yuan in cross-border e-commerce import and export value in 2025, surging 53.28 percent year-on-year, more than doubling that of 2023, and thus ranking first in Henan province.
ZAEZ has achieved a pivotal shift in its development pattern, with exports emerging as the core growth driver. In 2025, cross-border e-commerce export value in the zone reached 24.187 billion yuan, accounting for 69.5 percent of the total cross-border e-commerce trade value; export orders hit 251 million, accounting for as high as 82.7 percent of the total, while export growth surged 73.46 percent year-on-year, far outpacing that of imports. This performance underscores the zone's successful transition from the previous bonded import-led "1210" model to a fully export-oriented development approach.
ZAEZ has achieved a major shift in its development model, with exports emerging as the main growth driver. In 2025, cross-border e-commerce exports in the zone reached 24.187 billion yuan, accounting for 69.5 percent of total trade value. Export orders totaled 251 million, representing 82.7 percent of all orders, while exports surged 73.46 percent year-on-year, far outpacing imports. This performance underscores a successful transition from the previous bonded import-led "1210" model to an export-oriented development approach.
Multimodal transport support has continued to strengthen at ZAEZ. Zhengzhou Airport has opened 70 all-cargo air routes linking 73 cities in 32 countries. In 2025, cross-border e-commerce air cargo volume reached 261,000 tons, up 94.3 percent year-on-year. Dedicated charter flights to Europe and Southeast Asia now operate on a regular basis, while 26 international TIR cross-border trucking routes have been launched, handling 470 tons of cargo annually. These practices have been recognized by China's Ministry of Commerce as a model case.
ZAEZ has made solid progress in nurturing enterprises and building a complete cross-border e-commerce industry chain. Douyin Global Purchase's bonded warehouse now ships about 30,000 orders per day, with imported goods valued at 756 million yuan over the past six months. Meanwhile, Pinduoduo's forward-deployed distribution hub is set to begin operations and is expected to add 50,000 tons of export air cargo and 5 billion yuan in trade value in 2026. By the end of 2025, the zone was home to 885 cross-border e-commerce enterprises, forming a fully integrated industry chain. Leading platforms such as Tmall Global and Shein are operating on a regular basis, while local firms including Yitong Cross-Border and Trustone have emerged as industry benchmarks.
The "cross-border e-commerce + industrial clusters" model is injecting fresh momentum into ZAEZ's development. Through the 1688 Sourcing Center, more than 140 supply chain enterprises have been introduced, attracting over 10,000 sourcing participants. The Complete Vehicle and Auto Parts Sourcing Center has nurtured 18 cohorts of merchants, while related cross-border summits have drawn more than 40 buyers from Belt and Road partner countries, with contracts totaling over 600 million yuan. Meanwhile, products from the Livi Intelligent Farming Equipment Sourcing Center are now exported to more than 120 countries and regions worldwide.
The business environment at ZAEZ continues to improve, supported by stronger cross-department coordination during major promotional campaigns. The "Silk Road E-commerce" tax refund and customs declaration system has reduced single-order filing time to just 10 minutes. Meanwhile, zone-port integration enables 24/7 customs clearance, boosting logistics efficiency by 60 percent and cutting costs by more than 50 percent. AI-powered order review, together with the e-port platform, has further enhanced facilitation, prompting leading enterprises to deploy both primary and backup clearance channels in the zone.
In 2026, ZAEZ plans to develop four major infrastructure platforms, targeting cross-border e-commerce trade value of over 40 billion yuan and achieving growth beyond the 10-billion-yuan mark for a third consecutive year. The zone will also cultivate large-scale e-commerce consolidation hubs, with the goal of becoming a globally influential source of innovation in cross-border e-commerce and a leading hub for institutional opening-up. (Chinese source: Henan Daily Reporter: Yang Ling and Zhu Xilong Translator: Zhang Yahan Picture: Xu Cong Proofreader: Jiao Dan and Zhao Hanqing)
