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BEIJING, Nov. 21-- China will expand and improve the existing policies on retail imports via cross-border e-commerce to widen opening-up and unlock the potential of consumption, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. The Chinese government places high importance on developing cross-border e-commerce and other new forms of trade. Premier Li underlined the need to promote new forms of industry including cross-border e-commerce and adopt a new approach of prudent, accommodative and effective regulation in the government work reports in four consecutive years. Figures from the General Administration of Customs show that between January and October 2018, retail imports of cross-border e-commerce reached 67.2 billion yuan (about 9.7 billion U.S. dollars), up 53.7 percent year-on-year. "Boosting cross-border e-commerce will contribute to high-level opening-up. It will promote steady growth of foreign trade, drive consumption and create jobs," Li said. "We need to take a holistic approach, exercise prudent yet accommodative regulation to fully unleash the growth potential of cross-border e-commerce." The Wednesday meeting decided that starting from next January, the current policies on cross-border e-commerce retail imports will continue. No requirements of licensing, registration or record-filing for first-time imports shall apply to the retail imports through cross-border e-commerce platforms. Instead, these goods will receive more relaxed regulation as imports for personal use. | 
