FUZHOU, China, Jan. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based on-line auction giant eBay is taking new steps into the Chinese market by setting up a filiale in China (Fuzhou) Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zone on January 11.

The eBay Fujian company is eBay's first cooperation platform with the Chinese government and is eBay's second branch company in China following Shanghai.

eBay on the same day also announced that it has teamed up with Linca Industrial (Fujian) Group Co., Ltd. to build a cross-border e-commerce industrial park in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province. The park will be the first industrial park with a full industry chain of cross-border e-commerce in China. It is the outcome of a proposal signed by Fuzhou City government, the Department of Commerce of Fujian Province and eBay in April 2017.

The planning area of the first stage of the park is about 30,000 square meters, comprising a logistics center, maker incubators, a talent training center as well as a payment service support center, among other services.

"Fujian sellers have always been active on eBay and offering a rich variety of products with quality services. The landing of the industrial park showed our firm faith in the huge potential of cross-border e-commerce in Fujian. We hope we can work together with local government to bring more companies and products from Fujian on eBay, and further on help them reach more consumers across the globe," said John Lin, chief executive officer of eBay Greater China.

"We hope to stimulate the potential and vitality of Fujian, which has always been a major province of export trade, and nurture a demonstrative policy environment and ecosystem for cross-border e-commerce industry in China, " said Liang Yong, deputy director of the Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zone.

An eBay cross-border e-commerce institute was also established on the same day. Jointly organized by the Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zone, eBay and Fujian Business University, the institute features two majors - e-commerce and international trade, along with other optional courses. Qualified graduates will be granted a certificate from eBay and offered opportunities to work at excellent e-commerce companies in Fujian. The institute is estimated to educate 2,000 to 3,000 e-commerce professionals for Fujian every year.

From March 13 - 15, 2018, the eBay-Fujian Cross-Border E-commerce Summit will be held at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center.

The summit, boasting an area of 22,000 square meters and 1,000 booths in seven sections, will become an important opportunity for cross-border sellers to attract millions of possible clients in the Chinese market and enhance the influence of Chinese brands.

E-commerce has become a major growth engine in China. According to a report jointly released by Alibaba and Accenture, China will become the world's largest market for buying and selling products online by 2020, with the total value of commodity sold by e-retailers to overseas consumers estimated to reach 994 billion U.S. dollars. The partnership between eBay and Fujian will no doubt be a win-win choice.

Established in 1995 in California, eBay is one of the largest, most dynamic e-commerce platforms in the world. The company has been the top choice for many Chinese companies to explore overseas markets.

Fujian is the second largest cross-border e-commerce exporting province in China and registered an annual growth of over 35 percent in cross-border e-commerce exports over the past three years. The capital city of Fuzhou is home to many manufacturers and e-commerce sellers. In the future,  Fuzhou plans to partner with global e-commerce titans including eBay and Amazon and wish to further strengthen its role in cross-border e-commerce.

SOURCE China (Fuzhou) Pilot Free Trade Zone