Estonian Entrepreneurs Met With China’s e-commerce Giants

This week, a high-level business delegation consisting of Estonian entrepreneurs and led by Viljar Lubi, Deputy Secretary General for Economic Development at the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, is visiting China to develop cooperation between Estonia and China in the field of e-commerce. Enterprise Estonia has organized business meetings with local logistics companies and the biggest Chinese e-commerce platforms like Alibaba, JD.com, and DHGate.

Deputy Secretary Lubi says that e-commerce is a field with the greatest potential in the trade relations between Estonia and China, and to promote such cooperation, an e-commerce cooperation agreement was concluded in November 2017 with the Chinese trade ministry. „We can learn a lot from China’s e-commerce but at the same time, there lie also great opportunities for Estonian companies. China’s e-commerce platforms are facing several problems for which Estonian companies can offer solutions,“ noted Lubi.

Head of Asia Information Center at Enterprise Estonia, Kai Kreos says that achieving results in China presumes long-term and consistent work, and thoroughly thought out strategic approach. „Although there has been much talk about the threats connected to China, we cannot look past the business opportunities that China, as one of the leading economic countries can offer to our companies,“ said Kreos.

„To continue developing cooperation with China in the fields of e-commerce and logistics, we have mapped Estonia’s opportunities and refined our common value proposal together with Estonian companies offering logistical solutions to the Chinese e-commerce platforms. Regardless of its size, we find that Estonia has a good position in being a gateway to bigger European neighboring markets, also, the big e-commerce platforms are a wonderful channel through which Estonian exporters can enter the Chinese market,“ added Kreos.

Kaimo Sirak, Business Manager at Tallinn Airport, says that what matters in e-commerce, is speed, therefore air cargo is the preferred mode of transport. „Tallinn Airport is interested in developing air cargo cooperation with big online shops so that their merchandise would reach millions of potential buyers in neighboring countries through our terminals,“ said Sirak.

Erki Lastik from GTS Express added that consistent communication is extremely important when talking about China. “We took part in a similar visit also last year and we can confirm that the Estonian business environment with its advantages is of great interest to  Chinese companies,“ said Lastik.

In the frames of the visit, participants meet with the biggest Chinese e-commerce companies Alibaba, JD.com and DHGate to whom Estonian companies can offer help in entering the European market and overcoming obstacles. The delegation also meets with the Chinese reform and development committee NRDC’s top management and with the Chinese trade ministry who will be given an overview of the steps taken by Estonia to move closer to an e-commerce trade agreement.

The Estonian delegation is made up of companies acting in the field of e-commerce and logistics who want to find new partners from meetings in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as to grow their own business in China. Altogether seven companies take part in the visit: Tallinn Airport, Boomerang Distribution, GTS Express, Markit Holding, Empowerment/Air Cargo Collaboration, Silport, and Pristine. The visit is organized by Enterprise Estonia in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Estonian Embassy in Beijing.

News written by Enterprise Estonia
Translation by Kelli Püss