STORY: A Shared Path | Thriving cross-border e-commerce business
DATELINE: Oct. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:06:47
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

STORYLINE:

Xi'an, China

Xi'an, the capital city for many Chinese dynasties, was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

Now, under the Belt and Road Initiative, the historical city is bursting with new vitality.

"Don't say it's a long journey. The farther you walk, the shorter it'll be."
-- Kazakh proverb

The Kazakh proverb was confirmed in the story of Anita Jumekenova. 17 years ago, the 19-year-old Anita came from Kazakhstan to study in Xi'an, China, where she met the love of her life.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): YUAN ZHAOHUI, Anita's husband
"This time we're going back, as I promised Anita when we got married that we would return to her hometown often."

Located in the heart of Eurasia, Kazakhstan was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Now, the Silk Road Economic Belt has added new impetus to the country's economic development.

Karaganda, Kazakhstan

This is Karaganda, Anita's hometown. It's located in the north of Kazakhstan, thousands of kilometers from Xi'an.

No matter how busy she is, Anita returns to her hometown once a year.

SOUNDBITE (Russian): ANITA JUMEKENOVA, Cross-border e-commerce operator from Kazakhstan
"My mother was in China before, and she learned how to make Chinese hot sauce. So she prepared a bottle of chili sauce specially for my husband."

Chili sauce, toasters -- these daily essentials connect the hearts of Chinese and Kazakh people. The demand and love for Chinese goods from her hometown led Anita to discover business opportunities.

SOUNDBITE (Russian): ANITA JUMEKENOVA, Cross-border e-commerce operator from Kazakhstan
"When I studied in China, my friends asked me to bring them small Chinese commodities every time I came back to Kazakhstan. Gradually, the number of requests increased. I couldn't take all the goods with me, so I opened an online shop."

However, slow logistics became a bottleneck that constrained the shop's development.

SOUNDBITE (Russian): ANITA JUMEKENOVA, Cross-border e-commerce operator from Kazakhstan
"Girls ordered skirts in summer but received them in winter, or several months later."

Things began to change in July 2016, when Anita's goods could be transported by China-Europe freight trains.

The freight train service, like modern-day "steel camel caravans," offers a reliable channel for trade and economic cooperation.

After around 10 years, the trains are now linking 108 Chinese cities with over 200 European cities in 25 countries.

Anita organizes such training sessions for online livestreamers regularly for free, helping more people seek opportunities from the Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2019, Anita and her husband founded the e-commerce platform "Silkroad City Shop" targeting Russian-speaking countries.

Nowadays, online shopping is gaining popularity in Kazakhstan, and the couple's Silkroad City Shop is becoming known in the region.

Anita's family is just one of many who have benefited from the China-Europe freight train services.

SOUNDBITE (Russian): ANITA JUMEKENOVA, Cross-border e-commerce operator from Kazakhstan
"As inheritors and representatives of the Silk Road, we are engaged in commercial and cultural exchanges between modern countries."

Now, the new Silk Road reaches far and wide.

The farther it extends, the closer people along it get to each other and to new opportunities.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)