Web 'answer to export woes'

During the past few years, China has seen a rapid rise of exports through e-commerce platforms.

"The annual growth rate has reached as high as 50 to 100 percent but, unfortunately, there aren't any coordinated measures from the government," said the source.

Statistics from the global e-commerce business platform provider PayPal show that in 2013 online shopping for made-in-China goods by the top five e-commerce markets (the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Brazil) is expected to reach 67.9 billion yuan ($11 billion). The figure will double by 2018.

Statistics from the PayPal report show that from 2011 to the first quarter of 2012, China's exporters saw transactions for shipments to three emerging markets (Brazil, India and Russia) through the PayPal system increase by as much as 79 percent.

In July, an e-commerce industrial park aiming to facilitate cross-border trade opened in Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang province. The first phase of the park covers 40,000 square meters.

Early in 2012, a handful of cities and municipalities including Hangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Chongqing and Ningbo won government approval to act as pilot cities for cross-border e-commerce.

"Some exporters have already done well in leveraging the e-commerce channel but, to bring the potential into full play, the government has to contribute in terms of policies," said the source.

Experts said China needs to launch detailed, preferential measures to create more business-friendly e-commerce platforms for China's exports to unlock that potential fully, especially given grim global demand.

"Both smaller enterprises and big companies need the e-commerce platforms to improve efficiency, enlarge their sales networks and reduce costs," said Huo Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think-tank at the ministry.

But the problem is that there are "technical barriers", including customs clearance, logistics, tax and foreign exchange, he said. "They need to be solved."

Many small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises have shifted to e-commerce in recent years, either by setting up their own online business platforms or partnering with e-commerce service providers such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and US-based eBay Inc.

In 2012, the Yiwu Small-Commodities Market in Zhejiang province, the world's largest market for small items such as toys and household gadgets, saw its online sales and shipments through Alibaba by its 230,000 outbound e-commerce sellers gain by an astonishing 400 percent.