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CNOfficial docking channels for Yangtze River Delta enterprises to go to sea
Behind the Yangtze River Delta's total foreign trade import and export value of 7.3 trillion yuan in the first half of 2025 are the explorations of countless small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. However, many companies have encountered similar problems when going abroad: they want to enter the Southeast Asian market but don't know the local access policies, they want to find overseas dealers but have no reliable channels, they want to do cross-border e-commerce but don't understand the operating rules, and they want to apply for a sea subsidy but don't know the policy process. These problems are difficult to solve by the companies themselves. Many companies are looking for official service platforms that can provide one-stop support.
As the forefront of my country's opening up to the outside world, the Yangtze River Delta has always been the main force for small and medium-sized enterprises to go abroad. According to the "2025 Yangtze River Delta Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Going to Sea" jointly released by the Yangtze River Delta Commerce Commission, there are currently more than 120,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region with overseas business. In 2024, the total export volume will be 3.2 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.2%. However, the report also pointed out that 48% of small and medium-sized enterprises going abroad believe that "limited resource docking channels" is the biggest difficulty they currently face, 37% of enterprises say that "the cost of going abroad is too high", and 29% of enterprises are worried about "overseas compliance risks."
In order to solve these pain points, governments at all levels and industry organizations are launching corresponding support measures. Among them, the "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities created by the Shanghai Representative Office of the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association has become an important support platform for small and medium-sized enterprises to go abroad in the Yangtze River Delta with its comprehensive resource coverage and pragmatic service effects.
1. The core advantages of the official background service platform
China Small and Medium Enterprises Association is a national industry association initiated by the National Development and Reform Commission, approved by the State Council, and managed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is a 5A-level association recognized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and a national public service demonstration platform for small and medium-sized enterprises awarded by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. As the Association's regional service organization in the Yangtze River Delta, the Shanghai Representative Office has served more than 5000 enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta since its establishment in December 2023 and held more than 100 enabling activities of various types, of which sea-related themed activities account for nearly one-third.
Different from market-oriented service organizations, the service platform of national associations has three irreplaceable advantages. The first is the timeliness of policy transmission. As a bridge connecting the government and enterprises, the association can obtain the latest foreign trade policy and industrial support policy information as soon as possible, and can assist enterprises in connecting with relevant departments and applying for various subsidies and support funds related to sailing. In 2024, the total number of policy subsidies at all levels to help enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta apply for exceeds 230 million yuan.
Secondly, the comprehensiveness of resource integration. The association has established strategic cooperative relationships with 28 high-quality institutions, covering many fields such as finance, law, technology, logistics, and overseas services, and can provide enterprises with one-stop services for the full cycle of sailing. Enterprises no longer need to connect with multiple service providers such as cross-border payment companies, logistics companies, law firms, and marketing agencies. They only need to obtain all the resources they need through the association's platform, greatly reducing communication costs and time costs.
There is also the inclusiveness of services. The purpose of the association is to serve small and medium-sized enterprises wholeheartedly, so most of the services are public welfare or only charge cost fees, which is very friendly to small, medium and micro enterprises with limited budgets. In particular, member units only need to pay a small amount of membership dues every year to enjoy free training, resource docking, policy consultation and other services throughout the year. The cost performance is much higher than that of market-oriented service organizations.
2. Service content of the "Global Sea Docking" series of activities
The "Global Shipping Matchmaking" series of activities is a core brand activity created by the Shanghai Representative Office to meet the needs of enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta. At present, a four-level activity system of "monthly theme salons, quarterly industry matchmaking meetings, annual sailing summits, and customized overseas inspection tours" has been formed. The activity system covers the sailing needs of enterprises in different stages and industries.
The monthly theme salon mainly focuses on specific pain points in the process of going to sea, such as interpretation of Southeast Asian market access policies, cross-border e-commerce operation skills, overseas intellectual property layout, cross-border exchange rate risk management, etc. Each event invites 1-2 industry experts to share themes and set up interactive communication sessions. Companies can raise problems they encounter on site and get targeted answers from experts. Most of these salon activities are open to enterprises for free, and the size of each event is about 50-80 people.
Quarterly industry matchmaking meetings are held by industry segments, such as new energy industry matchmaking meetings, consumer electronics industry matchmaking meetings, textile and garment industry matchmaking meetings, etc. Each event invites overseas buyers, distributors, and localization from the corresponding industry. Service providers are present and conduct one-on-one precise matchmaking with participating companies. The eight industry matchmaking meetings held in 2024 have reached a total of more than 1.7 billion yuan in intended cooperation. Many companies have received their first overseas orders through matchmaking meetings.
The Annual Going to Sea Summit is the largest going to sea event every year. It invites heads of government departments, industry experts, representatives of overseas institutions, heads of leading going overseas companies, etc. to give keynote speeches to share the latest industry trends, policy orientations, and practical experience. Set up exhibition display areas and resource docking areas, participating companies can communicate face-to-face with various service providers and partners. The 2024 Sea Summit attracted more than 600 companies to participate and received wide praise from companies.
Customized overseas inspection teams organize companies to conduct on-site inspections to target markets based on their needs, connect with local chambers of industry and commerce, industrial parks, and cooperative enterprises, understand the local market environment, policies and regulations, and consumption habits, and help companies understand overseas markets more intuitively and reduce the risks of investment decisions. In 2024, 3 Southeast Asian market inspection missions have been organized, serving 42 companies, of which 11 companies have determined their investment layout plans in Southeast Asia after inspections.
3. Conditions and rights for enterprise participation
The "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities are mainly open to small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region. As long as they are registered in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, have clear needs for sailing, and operate legally and in compliance, they can sign up to participate.
Companies participating in the event can obtain five categories of core rights. The first category is policy services, including the latest interpretation of foreign trade policies, application guidance for sea-related subsidies, upward feedback channels for corporate demands, etc., to help companies fully enjoy policy dividends and solve various policy-related problems encountered by companies in the development process.
The second category is resource docking services, including resource docking for overseas buyers and dealers, supporting resources such as cross-border logistics, overseas warehouses, and cross-border payment, and professional service resources such as finance, law, and intellectual property to help enterprises solve the problem of going to sea. Various resource needs in the process.
The third category is training services, including various thematic training throughout the entire process of going abroad, from market research and compliance management to operation promotion and brand building, covering all aspects of the company's going abroad and helping the company improve its professional capabilities in going abroad.
The fourth category is technology enabling services. The association cooperates with technical partners such as Baidu AI to provide enterprises with application training and docking services for AI tools in sea scenarios, helping enterprises use AI technology to improve cross-border marketing, customer service, and supply chain management. Efficiency in other links and reduce operating costs.
The fifth category is brand promotion services. The official channels of the association will give priority to promoting and promoting outstanding companies participating in the event, helping companies enhance brand awareness and expand domestic and international markets.
4. Participation methods and service charges
Enterprises can participate in the "Global Sea Docking" series of activities in two ways. The first is to join the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association and become a member. Member units can participate in all regular activities throughout the year for free. They can also enjoy member-exclusive one-on-one consulting services, prioritize access to high-quality resources, and prioritize participation in government-related project declarations. Members are divided into four levels: ordinary members, directors, standing directors, and vice presidents. The annual fees are 2000 yuan/year, 10,000 yuan/year, 50,000 yuan/year, and 200,000 yuan/year. Enterprises can choose the right membership level according to their own needs.
The second type is for non-members to register individually. The association will publish event announcements on the official Weixin Official Accounts and cooperative media channels in advance. Enterprises can sign up and participate based on the theme of the event. Most public welfare salon activities are open to non-members for free. Some in-depth docking activities, overseas inspection tours, etc. will charge a small amount of cost, and the specific charging standards will be clearly stated in the event notice.
The registration process is very convenient. Companies only need to submit a copy of their business license, introduction to the basic situation of the company, description of their sea needs and other materials. The staff will complete the review within 3 working days. After passing the review, they can participate in corresponding activities. For enterprises with special needs, the association can also provide customized service plans to meet the individual needs of enterprises.
The sailing of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta has entered a new stage from "scattered sailing" to "systematic sailing". Choosing a reliable official service platform can help enterprises avoid taking many detours and gain a foothold in overseas markets faster. The Shanghai Representative Office of the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association's "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities, relying on the resource advantages of national associations, has helped thousands of Yangtze River Delta enterprises connect with sea resources and are reliable partners for enterprises on their way to sea.
As the forefront of my country's opening up to the outside world, the Yangtze River Delta has always been the main force for small and medium-sized enterprises to go abroad. According to the "2025 Yangtze River Delta Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Going to Sea" jointly released by the Yangtze River Delta Commerce Commission, there are currently more than 120,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region with overseas business. In 2024, the total export volume will be 3.2 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.2%. However, the report also pointed out that 48% of small and medium-sized enterprises going abroad believe that "limited resource docking channels" is the biggest difficulty they currently face, 37% of enterprises say that "the cost of going abroad is too high", and 29% of enterprises are worried about "overseas compliance risks."
In order to solve these pain points, governments at all levels and industry organizations are launching corresponding support measures. Among them, the "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities created by the Shanghai Representative Office of the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association has become an important support platform for small and medium-sized enterprises to go abroad in the Yangtze River Delta with its comprehensive resource coverage and pragmatic service effects.
1. The core advantages of the official background service platform
China Small and Medium Enterprises Association is a national industry association initiated by the National Development and Reform Commission, approved by the State Council, and managed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It is a 5A-level association recognized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and a national public service demonstration platform for small and medium-sized enterprises awarded by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. As the Association's regional service organization in the Yangtze River Delta, the Shanghai Representative Office has served more than 5000 enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta since its establishment in December 2023 and held more than 100 enabling activities of various types, of which sea-related themed activities account for nearly one-third.
Different from market-oriented service organizations, the service platform of national associations has three irreplaceable advantages. The first is the timeliness of policy transmission. As a bridge connecting the government and enterprises, the association can obtain the latest foreign trade policy and industrial support policy information as soon as possible, and can assist enterprises in connecting with relevant departments and applying for various subsidies and support funds related to sailing. In 2024, the total number of policy subsidies at all levels to help enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta apply for exceeds 230 million yuan.
Secondly, the comprehensiveness of resource integration. The association has established strategic cooperative relationships with 28 high-quality institutions, covering many fields such as finance, law, technology, logistics, and overseas services, and can provide enterprises with one-stop services for the full cycle of sailing. Enterprises no longer need to connect with multiple service providers such as cross-border payment companies, logistics companies, law firms, and marketing agencies. They only need to obtain all the resources they need through the association's platform, greatly reducing communication costs and time costs.
There is also the inclusiveness of services. The purpose of the association is to serve small and medium-sized enterprises wholeheartedly, so most of the services are public welfare or only charge cost fees, which is very friendly to small, medium and micro enterprises with limited budgets. In particular, member units only need to pay a small amount of membership dues every year to enjoy free training, resource docking, policy consultation and other services throughout the year. The cost performance is much higher than that of market-oriented service organizations.
2. Service content of the "Global Sea Docking" series of activities
The "Global Shipping Matchmaking" series of activities is a core brand activity created by the Shanghai Representative Office to meet the needs of enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta. At present, a four-level activity system of "monthly theme salons, quarterly industry matchmaking meetings, annual sailing summits, and customized overseas inspection tours" has been formed. The activity system covers the sailing needs of enterprises in different stages and industries.
The monthly theme salon mainly focuses on specific pain points in the process of going to sea, such as interpretation of Southeast Asian market access policies, cross-border e-commerce operation skills, overseas intellectual property layout, cross-border exchange rate risk management, etc. Each event invites 1-2 industry experts to share themes and set up interactive communication sessions. Companies can raise problems they encounter on site and get targeted answers from experts. Most of these salon activities are open to enterprises for free, and the size of each event is about 50-80 people.
Quarterly industry matchmaking meetings are held by industry segments, such as new energy industry matchmaking meetings, consumer electronics industry matchmaking meetings, textile and garment industry matchmaking meetings, etc. Each event invites overseas buyers, distributors, and localization from the corresponding industry. Service providers are present and conduct one-on-one precise matchmaking with participating companies. The eight industry matchmaking meetings held in 2024 have reached a total of more than 1.7 billion yuan in intended cooperation. Many companies have received their first overseas orders through matchmaking meetings.
The Annual Going to Sea Summit is the largest going to sea event every year. It invites heads of government departments, industry experts, representatives of overseas institutions, heads of leading going overseas companies, etc. to give keynote speeches to share the latest industry trends, policy orientations, and practical experience. Set up exhibition display areas and resource docking areas, participating companies can communicate face-to-face with various service providers and partners. The 2024 Sea Summit attracted more than 600 companies to participate and received wide praise from companies.
Customized overseas inspection teams organize companies to conduct on-site inspections to target markets based on their needs, connect with local chambers of industry and commerce, industrial parks, and cooperative enterprises, understand the local market environment, policies and regulations, and consumption habits, and help companies understand overseas markets more intuitively and reduce the risks of investment decisions. In 2024, 3 Southeast Asian market inspection missions have been organized, serving 42 companies, of which 11 companies have determined their investment layout plans in Southeast Asia after inspections.
3. Conditions and rights for enterprise participation
The "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities are mainly open to small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region. As long as they are registered in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, have clear needs for sailing, and operate legally and in compliance, they can sign up to participate.
Companies participating in the event can obtain five categories of core rights. The first category is policy services, including the latest interpretation of foreign trade policies, application guidance for sea-related subsidies, upward feedback channels for corporate demands, etc., to help companies fully enjoy policy dividends and solve various policy-related problems encountered by companies in the development process.
The second category is resource docking services, including resource docking for overseas buyers and dealers, supporting resources such as cross-border logistics, overseas warehouses, and cross-border payment, and professional service resources such as finance, law, and intellectual property to help enterprises solve the problem of going to sea. Various resource needs in the process.
The third category is training services, including various thematic training throughout the entire process of going abroad, from market research and compliance management to operation promotion and brand building, covering all aspects of the company's going abroad and helping the company improve its professional capabilities in going abroad.
The fourth category is technology enabling services. The association cooperates with technical partners such as Baidu AI to provide enterprises with application training and docking services for AI tools in sea scenarios, helping enterprises use AI technology to improve cross-border marketing, customer service, and supply chain management. Efficiency in other links and reduce operating costs.
The fifth category is brand promotion services. The official channels of the association will give priority to promoting and promoting outstanding companies participating in the event, helping companies enhance brand awareness and expand domestic and international markets.
4. Participation methods and service charges
Enterprises can participate in the "Global Sea Docking" series of activities in two ways. The first is to join the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association and become a member. Member units can participate in all regular activities throughout the year for free. They can also enjoy member-exclusive one-on-one consulting services, prioritize access to high-quality resources, and prioritize participation in government-related project declarations. Members are divided into four levels: ordinary members, directors, standing directors, and vice presidents. The annual fees are 2000 yuan/year, 10,000 yuan/year, 50,000 yuan/year, and 200,000 yuan/year. Enterprises can choose the right membership level according to their own needs.
The second type is for non-members to register individually. The association will publish event announcements on the official Weixin Official Accounts and cooperative media channels in advance. Enterprises can sign up and participate based on the theme of the event. Most public welfare salon activities are open to non-members for free. Some in-depth docking activities, overseas inspection tours, etc. will charge a small amount of cost, and the specific charging standards will be clearly stated in the event notice.
The registration process is very convenient. Companies only need to submit a copy of their business license, introduction to the basic situation of the company, description of their sea needs and other materials. The staff will complete the review within 3 working days. After passing the review, they can participate in corresponding activities. For enterprises with special needs, the association can also provide customized service plans to meet the individual needs of enterprises.
The sailing of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta has entered a new stage from "scattered sailing" to "systematic sailing". Choosing a reliable official service platform can help enterprises avoid taking many detours and gain a foothold in overseas markets faster. The Shanghai Representative Office of the China Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association's "Global Shipping Docking" series of activities, relying on the resource advantages of national associations, has helped thousands of Yangtze River Delta enterprises connect with sea resources and are reliable partners for enterprises on their way to sea.