Anhui Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zone Expands to 5 Cities — What Foreign Investors Need to Know

Anhui Province has expanded its cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone (跨境电子商务综合试验区, kuàjìng diànzǐ shāngwù zònghé shìyàn qū) from the original Hefei node to cover five cities, as of the first quarter of 2025. The new zones in Wuhu, Bengbu, Ma’anshan, and Anqing join Hefei, bringing the total designated area to 18,000 square kilometers and serving over 3,200 registered foreign trade enterprises. This expansion is part of China’s broader push to digitize foreign trade, targeting 15% annual growth in cross-border e-commerce for the province through 2027.

Policy Background: From Hefei to Five Cities

China’s cross-border e-commerce pilot zones were first introduced in 2015, with Hefei being approved as one of the third batch in 2018. Initially, the Hefei pilot zone focused on high‑tech exports like electronics and machinery, handling 4.2 billion RMB in transactions by 2022. In late 2023, the State Council approved the expansion to four additional cities—Wuhu, Bengbu, Ma’anshan, and Anqing—to leverage Anhui’s growing logistics backbone along the Yangtze River. The decision recognized that these cities collectively account for 62% of Anhui’s total foreign trade volume, with Wuhu alone contributing 18% of provincial exports.

Each pilot zone benefits from streamlined customs clearance, reduced inspection rates, and tax incentives for qualified enterprises. For example, the new zones adopt the “1210” and “9610” customs supervision models, which cut clearance times from 48 hours to an average of 6 hours. The Anhui provincial government allocated 240 million RMB in 2024 for digital infrastructure upgrades, including cross-border payment gateways and warehousing hubs.

Key Metrics: Trade Growth and Enterprise Clusters

The five zones’ combined cross‑border e‑commerce trade volume reached 12.8 billion RMB in 2024, a 35% year-on-year increase from 9.5 billion RMB in 2023. Export value grew 42% to 8.7 billion RMB, while imports rose 18% to 4.1 billion RMB. The number of active enterprises in these zones increased by 28% to 3,200, with over 1,100 being new foreign‑invested entities registered as WFOEs (外商独资企业, wài shāng dú zī qǐ yè).

Key product categories have shifted. In 2022, machinery and electronics comprised 48% of cross‑border e‑commerce exports; by 2024, that share fell to 37%, overtaken by consumer goods (29%) and agricultural processed products (17%). The average order value dropped from $185 to $96, indicating a shift toward higher‑frequency, lower‑value B2C sales—a pattern consistent with national trends.

The table below summarizes core performance indicators across the five cities for 2024:

City-by-City Breakdown: Infrastructure and Specializations

Each new pilot zone has tailored its infrastructure to local industrial strengths. Wuhu, known for its automotive sector (Chery Automotive headquarters), has built a dedicated 120,000‑square‑meter bonded warehouse for auto parts cross‑border logistics. In 2024, Wuhu’s pilot zone processed 3.2 million customs declarations, 60% of which were B2C packages destined for Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Bengbu focuses on agricultural exports—dried vegetables, tea, and specialty grains—and has established a “farm-to-port” cold chain linking to the China-Europe Railway Express. Ma’anshan, an industrial hub for steel and chemicals, uses its pilot zone to export high‑margins specialty steel products to Europe. Anqing, the smallest of the five, has attracted 20 foreign-invested companies (FIE) involved in home décor and handicrafts, with an average investment of 1.2 million USD per firm.

Hefei remains the anchor, handling 40% of total trade volume and serving as a central R&D and compliance hub for cross‑border operations. It hosts the province’s only cross‑border e‑commerce data platform, which integrates customs, tax, and logistics data for real‑time tracking.

Implications for Foreign Investors

For foreign companies considering WFOE establishment in Anhui, the expansion means more site options with similar policy benefits. Hefei’s pilot zone, while mature, faces higher property costs (average warehouse rent 28 RMB/m²) compared to Bengbu (15 RMB/m²) or Anqing (11 RMB/m²). The decision framework for choosing a city is: If your product is high‑tech or requires advanced logistics, choose Hefei or Wuhu. If you export agricultural or low‑margin bulk goods, choose Bengbu or Anqing for lower land and labor costs.

All five zones offer a flat 15% corporate income tax rate for qualifying high‑tech enterprises, compared to the standard 25%. Additionally, foreign investors can set up a representative office (代表处, dài biǎo chù) in any of the zones without a full WFOE registration, though this limits business scope to non‑profit activities such as market research. The Anhui provincial trade bureau reported that 45% of new foreign entities in 2024 chose the “1210” bonded retail model over the “9610” direct mail model due to inventory flexibility.

NEXT STEPS

1. Evaluate city-specific incentives: Review our detailed guide on Anhui Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zones to compare tax breaks, land subsidies, and logistics support.
2. Register a WFOE in your target zone: Use our step-by-step outline for Setting Up a WFOE in Anhui to navigate company registration, including the 45‑day approval timeline.
3. Explore bonded warehousing options: Read Anhui Foreign Trade Incentives to understand how to qualify for the “1210” model and reduce upfront tariff payments by up to 60%.

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