Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com to directly import S. Korean products

Seoul, August 12 - China's leading e-commerce company JD.com has established a business presence in South Korea to directly import Korean consumer goods for sale within China, according to the country's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The ministry, along with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and JD.com, organized a briefing attended by around 200 Korean consumer goods firms, detailing JD.com's business approach.

Following private consultations, several Korean businesses signed agreements valued at a total of $1.5 million to utilize JD.com's business-to-consumer (B2C) platform for exporting their products to Chinese customers.

JD.com intends to boost its direct purchases of Korean products as the global fascination with Korean culture, commonly known as "K-culture," is anticipated to continue fueling demand for K-beauty and K-food items in China. A spokesperson from JD.com expressed confidence in this strategy. The South Korean government has pledged comprehensive support to Korean enterprises aiming to penetrate the Chinese market via prominent e-commerce platforms like JD.com.

Chinese consumer goods exports to China peaked at $9.3 billion in 2021, but experienced a decline to $6.5 billion in 2025 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, exports of Korean consumer goods to China soared by 8.7% year-on-year to $3.4 billion in the first half of 2026. JD.com, frequently compared to Amazon in the United States, reported $183.5 billion in sales last year.