Nov 3, 2022|

The 2nd Ambassadors’ Forum of JD.com: Over 70 National Pavilions and RMB 500B Yuan

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by Mengyang He

JD.com hosted the second Ambassadors’ Forum in Beijing on November 2, under the theme of “JD National Pavilions – Synchronizing the Good Life of the World,” where ambassadors from Cyprus, Georgia, Indonesia, Moldova, Serbia, Sri Lanka, and counsellors from Laos and Switzerland shared insights into and expectations for JD’s national pavilion business and bilateral trade between their countries and China.

From left to right: Joel Saurina, Counsellor of Embassy of Switzerland, Head of Swiss Business Hub; H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis, Ambassador of Cyprus to China; H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun, Ambassador of Indonesia; H.E. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia; H.E. Palitha T. B. Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka; H.E. Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova; H.E. Maja Stefanovic, Ambassador of Serbia; Lemsouthi Khouanchay, Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of Laos to China; Wei Ye, Vice President of JD.com and President of JD Foods of JD FMCG Omni-channel

According to JD, nearly 20 national pavilions have been launched during the Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, including ones from Cyprus, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Hungary, Germany, and Malaysia. With over 70 national pavilions in operation, JD is set to have accumulatively 100 national pavilions by the end of this year, covering food and wine, electronic devices, mother and baby care, healthcare products, etc.

Wei Ye, vice president of JD.com, said in the welcome remarks, “As the go-to supermarket for Chinese consumers, JD Super has been accelerating the construction of national pavilions, providing consumers with a variety of international specialties.”

H.E. Martha A. Mavrommatis, Ambassador of Cyprus to China

Ambassador Mavrommatis said in her keynote speech, “China’s consumption upgrade and the youth’s desire for novelty have provided niche imported products with a great opportunity. On the day when National Pavilion of Cyprus was launched, Cypriot naturally extracted blue wine ranked the top seller among all semi-sweet wines on JD.com.”

H.E. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia to China

“JD National Pavilion of Georgia was established in 2019, and its annual sales increased by 60 percent in the last 4 years,” highlighted Ambassador Kalandia. “On the first day of JD Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, National Pavilion of Georgia ranked high among others.” It offers an array of local specialties, such as ChaCha, which is particularly favored by younger generations, and traditional wine in clay vessels, which are considered intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

H.E. Djauhari Oratmangun (second from right), Ambassador of Indonesia to China

“With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in effect, the Indonesian government actively supports local exporters, especially SMEs, to penetrate the Chinese markets,” said Ambassador Oratmangun. “We hope JD.com will promote Indonesian products, such as shrimp crackers, cookies, coffee, etc.” Ambassador Oratmangun was the only diplomat who has joined JD’s Ambassadors’ Forum in two consecutive years, and thus received special awards from JD.com for his dedication to promoting Indonesian products in the Chinese market.

H.E. Dumitru Braghis, Ambassador of Moldova to China

Ambassador Dumitru Braghis expressed that he hopes the National Pavilion of Moldova will offer more niche yet premium Moldovan products to Chinese consumers. On the first day of JD Singles’ Day Grand Promotion, the transaction volume of Sauvignon blanc from Mileștii Mici winery grew by 10 times YOY.

H.E. Maja Stefanovic, Ambassador of Serbia to China

National Pavilion of Serbia is a relative newcomer, as it was launched on JD.com in June this year. Traditional products including apple juice, cider, wine, coffee powder, snacks are popular among Chinese consumers. “National Pavilion of Serbia has already received 57,000 followers after only three months of presence on JD.com, which is a great achievement,” said Ambassador Stefanovic.

H.E. Palitha T. B. Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China

Ambassador Kohona pointed out that “Green and organic products are particularly attractive to Chinese consumers, yet organic produce must meet stringent quality checks and standards to satisfy Chinese requirements.”

Lemsouthi Khouanchay (center), Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of Laos to China

“We hope to introduce Laotian products, ranging from high-quality agricultural products to traditional furniture, to Chinese consumers through JD’s national pavilion business,” noted Counsellor Khouanchay.

Joel Saurina, Counsellor of Embassy of Switzerland in China, Head of Swiss Business Hub and Wei Ye

Counsellor Saurina was delighted to see several Swiss products on the premises, including chocolate, biscuits, and beverages; and in his comments highlighted remarkable achievements since the Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement was signed.

As the 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is around the corner, JD released the “2022 Import Consumption Report” at the forum, revealing that JD has procured over RMB 500 billion-worth of imported products over the past three years.

 

(hemengyang5@jd.com)

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