Agency : As more Chinese enterprises set their sights on international expansion, Hu Baoming is positioning his firm to seize the moment.

Hu heads Wuhan Gani Technology Co., Ltd., a professional window film manufacturer based in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. Following a recent trip to Saudi Arabia - where he finalized brand registration and compliance procedures for the company - Hu returned to China without pause. Within days, he was back to work, focused on establishing international logistics networks and overseas warehousing channels to connect Hubei with the Middle East.

As the company has scaled up production and enhanced product quality, Hu has become more determined to ride the wave of cross-border e-commerce into global markets.

"Summer is coming, and the Middle East will only get hotter," he said, "There's going to be strong demand for our products, especially the films that block UV rays and reduce heat."

Among the company's offerings, one heat-insulating film has already found a foothold overseas. This year, Hu plans to ramp up efforts in the region, doubling down on what he sees as a promising and fast-growing market.

For Chinese companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cracking global markets has not always been easy. Establishing a physical presence, running marketing campaigns, navigating logistics and warehousing, handling cross-border payments, and staying compliant with local tax regulations can quickly overwhelm smaller players with limited international experience.

"For us, it really was starting from scratch," Hu recalled.

Support came from the Yangtze International Trade Cross-Border E-commerce Industrial Park in Wuhan. The park connected Hu with a wide range of cross-border service providers and offered a comprehensive suite of professional solutions for going global. In the first half of 2024, Gani launched its first overseas online storefront.

Wuhan, a key foreign trade city in China, has seen its international commerce surge. According to Wuhan customs, the city recorded total imports and exports of 94.97 billion yuan ($13.01 billion) in the first quarter of 2024, up 17.8 percent year on year, driven in part by new growth in emerging markets.

To capitalize on this momentum, local authorities launched the Wuhan International Trade Digital Platform in 2024. Run by Wuhan Yangtze Trading Group Co., Ltd. under Wuhan Financial Holdings (Group), the platform aims to streamline the internationalization process for local businesses.

"We've rolled out over 80 trade services so far, serving more than 1,500 foreign trade companies and incubating over 140 new exporters," said Li Shangsong, head of the platform's project team.

The shift from offline to online services has made global expansion far more accessible for companies like Gani. "The platform offers a one-click store setup," Hu said. "Once we fill out the required information online, we're immediately connected with official onboarding teams from Amazon, eBay, and other leading international e-commerce platforms."

But choosing the right market remains a critical question for many exporters. "We've integrated global trade data so that companies can access real-time sales trends and risk alerts across 98 major product categories before entering a new market," Li said.

The platform now houses 2 billion trade records, covering 200 countries and regions and 600 ports. With this trove of information, businesses can fine-tune their strategies on the fly and quickly identify high-potential markets.

Once the market is selected and the stores are active, the next hurdle is getting products into customers' hands - which means coordinating logistics and managing overseas warehousing.

According to Li, to streamline the process, the platform now works with a range of logistics service providers, allowing businesses to place shipping orders directly through the system. For sea freight, it collaborates with China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, giving users access to shipment tracking, schedules, and a one-stop international logistics system with real-time updates on order status.

Armed with these tools, Gani is moving forward with renewed confidence. "We've already launched our businesses on 12 major international e-commerce platforms and operate more than 30 online stores," said Hu.

Still, new markets bring new challenges. "Even a great product won't sell if nobody knows about it," Hu admitted. While he initially considered purchasing overseas advertisements, the high costs and uncertain returns gave him pause.

To bridge the gap, the platform introduced an AI-powered marketing tool, said Li. By entering a product name and a few keywords, businesses can automatically generate multilingual marketing emails, social media copy, and product listings tailored for e-commerce platforms - all with a single click. The technology has dramatically lowered the cost of reaching international consumers.

With more targeted outreach and sharper messaging, Gani has steadily built its visibility abroad. Last year, the company reported $8 million in its sales - a number Hu hopes will continue to rise as Gani deepens its international footprint.

-By Wu Jun, People's Daily