GBA offers strong basics for ‘AI+ cross-border e-commerce’: HK political advisor

An aerial drone photo shows a view of a mangrove wetland in Futian of Shenzhen

Lin Long’an, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, proposed to further promote the cross-border e-commerce development of South China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) based on local industrial advantages as well as assistance with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Lin, also the chairman of the GBA Importers and Exporters Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday during the annual two sessions that the GBA, boasting abundant industrial cluster resources and a well-established cross-border e-commerce foundation, provides immense potential for the foreign trade development of the area, while noting that the construction of the GBA brings both opportunities and challenges for the foreign trade sector.

As Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry is relocated to the Chinese mainland, Lin noted that the integration of resources in the GBA and leveraging their respective advantages has become a crucial issue concerning Hong Kong’s status as a trade hub.

“Hong Kong’s financial settlement facilitation and international client networks constitute unique strengths, while the manufacturing foundation within the GBA provides solid support for trade,” said Lin. He emphasized that by pooling resources and forming synergies within the GBA, Hong Kong could secure a more advantageous position in international trade.

Over the past year, Lin visited multiple industrial clusters in the GBA, conducted meetings with local enterprises and relevant government departments and collected first-hand information regarding the current development status, strengths and challenges of these industrial clusters.

Lin noted that some enterprises he had visited expressed a desire to leverage cross-border e-commerce platforms to expand their overseas markets, while facing challenges due to a shortage of professional e-commerce operation talent and insufficient brand-building capabilities. Lin added relevant suggestions to support talent training and brand-building in his proposal this year.

With the rise of AI technologies represented by DeepSeek, Lin keenly recognized the emerging opportunities that AI brings to cross-border e-commerce, including cost controls, precision marketing, and an expanding customer base. AI technologies can also support international logistics and avoid a rat-race within the industry, said Lin.

Lin’s association has connected to DeepSeek, which helps him access key information on the demand for Chinese products across diverse markets and countries, as well as insights into local business environments.

“In the past, this might have required significant time and effort – potentially even a month to fully grasp. Now, with the powerful big data analytics support of the DeepSeek, such information can be instantly visualized with clarity, providing a solid and robust support for precision marketing initiatives,” said Lin.

Since the Outline Development Plan for the GBA was released in February 2019, the region has become an important engine of China’s trade growth. In 2024, the foreign trade of the nine cities of the GBA hit a record of 8.75 trillion yuan ($1.2 trillion), up by 10.1 percent year-on-year, according to data from Guangdong customs.

Speaking of the future development of the GBA’s foreign trade sector, Lin noted that the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, plus three different customs regions and three currencies, can better align the GBA with international rules and standards, enabling it to serve as a vital gateway for economic exchanges and cooperation between China and the global economy. MDT/Global Times

Interview
By Ding Yazhi & Xing Xiaojing, Global Times