Cross border e-commerce in China : what does this mean to Australian small to medium size enterprises (SMEs)?

Cross border e-commerce (CBEC) enables SMEs access to overseas market opportunities. With recent development in China's cross border e-commerce, China has become the world's largest cross-border market with over 200 million cross-border online consumers. In conjunction with the recent entry into the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), the China market has never been so accessible to Australian companies, especially SME exporters. This represents an unprecedented opportunity for Australian exporters seeking new customers outside their domestic markets via new platforms. However, our recent research shows yet not enough Australian SMEs appear to be aware of the export and investment opportunity the country offers through cross border e-commerce, let alone taking full advantage of the opportunities e-commerce opens up. This research intends to help Australian SMEs to maximize the opportunities offered by China's cross border e-commerce. It is significant because cross border e-commerce as the representative of a new business model is becoming a new driving force of China's foreign trade growth and Australian SMEs are a significant part of the national economy.