UN trade official calls for inclusive participation to unlock opportunities in e-commerce

Deputy Executive Director of the International Trade Center Dorothy Tembo on Wednesday called on inclusive participation and rallying global support to establish multilateral rules for trade in services and unlock greater opportunities in e-commerce sector.

Tembo participated in the 2025 E-commerce Convention, a flagship forum of the ongoing China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), where she delivered a keynote address.

Held from Wednesday to Thursday at the Shougang Exhibition and Convention Center in Beijing, the event drew officials, business leaders, and scholars from across the e-commerce sector.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Tembo noted that CIFTIS has become an increasingly vital platform for advancing global trade in services by fostering innovation, dialogue on rules, and cross-border cooperation.

"This particular context is very different from the last fair that I attended, in the sense that there have been many shifts on the policy side, on the tariff side, which have actually pushed the countries to look more towards the services' side, and what can be done there, to facilitate trade, but to also use it as a way of trading in the area of services," she said.

Over the years, China's e-commerce has developed rapidly and has played a positive role in promoting global digital trade. Latest data shows that China's e-commerce sector saw steady growth in the first seven months of 2025, with the country's online retail sales climbing 9.2 percent year on year in the period.

Tembo spoke highly of the rapid development and global influence of China's e-commerce sector, and called for rallying global support to boost trade in services.

"I think what China has been able to do over the past several years is an aspect that one does not only applaud, but it is also one that from observations that we have made, has been made with a very deliberate and systematic approach to it. This is what all countries have to learn with respect to what they can do in trying to push forward their services agenda," she said.

"I think what is key in all this is that each and every country is different. So you have to ensure that you're not only contextualizing the solutions, but that you are also bringing to the fold solutions that can work for your specific situation, ensuring that you have everybody rallying behind the vision, but also everyone being able to participate. If you bring together the other countries to move along, putting in place the multilateral rules that will be able to facilitate trade in services, that in itself will create much, much higher level of opportunity," said Tembo.

The five-day 2025 CIFTIS opened on Wednesday, with the theme "Embrace Intelligent Technologies, Empower Trade in Services."

UN trade official calls for inclusive participation to unlock opportunities in e-commerce

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.

Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.

"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.

The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.

Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar