E-commerce helps take bite out of duties

JD, Taobao, Tmall, Freshippo among portals soaking up would-be exports

Chinese e-commerce platforms have taken steps to help the country's exporters sell their products at home, expand sales channels and alleviate inventory pressures, as part of a broader push to hedge against the impact of United States' tariff hikes and expand domestic demand.

They said that these supportive measures will help export-oriented companies open up the domestic market, strengthen domestic circulation and boost consumption, while further unleashing the vitality and potential of China's ultra-large market to address challenges posed by external shocks.

JD has announced it will purchase 200 billion yuan ($27.3 billion) worth of goods from exporters over the next year to help them sell products domestically. It will send professional procurement teams to foreign trade companies and directly purchase their high-quality products.