As an economic hub in south China, Guangdong Province has close trade ties with many areas across the globe. In a bid to facilitate foreign trade, a big data e-hub is to be established in the the Province's southern city of Zhuhai.
Zhong Zhisong is a businessman from Macao. His company in Zhuhai imports food and daily necessities from all over the world. Having been involved in foreign trade for 20 years, Zhong says the business involves lots of procedures and different parties, therefore information exchange and transparency are important.
"One procedure follows another, they are all separated now," Zhong told CGTN, adding that "it's great if a platform can integrate all the data needed, so we'll know how it's going and what to do next."
Big data is a way to cut through all the red tape.
And with a big data e-hub in the works in Zhuhai, business dealings are expected to become much easier.
The digital platform aims to provide comprehensive information on credibility checks, inspections and quarantine declarations, as well as enable companies to follow every process of foreign trade, including logistics, payment and customs clearance.
The e-hub is not limited to serving only those in the region, but aims to be a link to as many countries as possible.
"In the process of China's opening up, platforms like this can help control possible trade risks regarding policy, market and exchange rate." Zhang Guangnan, deputy director of the Institution of Guangdong, HK & Macao Development Studies in Sun Yat-Sen University, believes that big data and the Internet are what people should rely on for risk control in the future.
It will take some time before the e-hub is fully established, with an app and commodity exhibition center set to be made available when the hub becomes operational.
