At the forefront of going global | The first customized railway train departs from Hainan Free Trade Port; Japan plans to introduce AI robots for sec

Major Events in Going Global

Ministry of Commerce: China and the US Agree to Establish a Working Mechanism for Expanding Economic and Trade Cooperation under the Framework of China-US Economic and Trade Consultation Mechanism

On March 19th, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. Focusing on hot topics such as the China-US economic and trade consultations in Paris, rare earth export controls, and the preparation progress of the 9th China International Import Expo, the Ministry of Commerce responded. He Yongqian, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said that during the China-US economic and trade consultations in Paris, the two sides agreed to study the establishment of a working mechanism for expanding economic and trade cooperation under the framework of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand practical cooperation, and promote the continuous and stable improvement of bilateral economic and trade relations. (Xinhua News Agency)

WTO: The Overall Negative Impact of Tariffs on Trade in 2025 Is Less Than Expected

On March 19th, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in its latest "Global Trade Outlook and Statistics" report that the overall negative impact of tariffs on trade in 2025 is less than previously expected. Looking ahead to 2026, the WTO believes that the recent dynamics in tariffs mainly reflect strategic adjustments rather than fundamental policy changes. WTO economists estimate that as of the end of February this year, the share of global trade based on the "most-favored-nation treatment" principle has rebounded to 72%. (Yicai Global)

The First Customized Railway Train Departs after the Sealing-off of Hainan Free Trade Port

According to China Railway Guangzhou Bureau, this morning (the 18th), the first customized railway train after the full - island sealing - off operation of Hainan Free Trade Port will depart from Haikou Railway Port and head for Guangzhou International Port, adding another efficient, stable, and green logistics corridor between Hainan and Guangdong. The goods carried by the train are chemical products under customs supervision after value - added processing by Hainan Refining and Chemical. Following the customs supervision policy of duty - free goods for value - added processing at the "second - line port" under the sealing - off operation, all parties have established an efficient cooperation mechanism to open up a fast channel from the factory to the market. The transportation time has been compressed from the traditional 5 days to 2.5 days, achieving end - to - end full - process logistics services within 3 days. (CCTV News)

New Market Observation

Source: India Plans to Activate Emergency Clause to Increase Power Generation of Imported Coal - Fired Power Plants

Three industry sources revealed that India is considering activating an emergency clause to force domestic imported coal - fired power plants to generate electricity at full capacity before the arrival of summer. Indian Federal Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said at an industry event on Thursday that the country expects the peak power demand in summer to reach 270 gigawatts. The sources said that the natural gas supply crisis and the shutdown of a 4 - gigawatt coal - fired power unit of Tata Power have prompted the Indian government to consider promoting the full - load operation of all domestic coal - fired power plants (including imported coal - fired power plants). (Sina Finance)

CITIC Construction Investment: The Power Shortage in North America Is Deep - Rooted, and the Prosperity of Energy Storage and Power Grid Construction Will Soon Replicate That of Gas Turbines

A research report from CITIC Construction Investment points out that the current North American power system has problems such as a long grid - connection cycle, aging and decommissioning of power generation/grid equipment, and insufficient reserve capacity. The explosion of AIDC demand will cause the power gap in the North American power grid to reach 39.9, 51.8, and 67.8 GW from 2026 to 2028. We believe that gas turbines, energy storage, and power grid equipment will gradually become the core beneficiary sectors. Currently, the market only recognizes the prosperity of gas turbines. It is expected that half a year to a year later, power grid investment and energy storage construction will start to increase continuously. The profit volume in North America far exceeds that in other regions of the world, and we are optimistic about the elasticity of the relevant industrial chain. (36Kr)

Japan Plans to Introduce AI Robots for Security, Waste Disposal, etc. by 2030

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will formulate a plan to popularize robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and capable of autonomous action, with the goal of introducing them to work sites such as security and waste disposal before 2030. The government and the private sector will also jointly develop a new - generation AI as the "brain". By using AI robots capable of higher - level actions, it aims to alleviate the labor shortage and improve productivity. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will soon announce the roadmap of the "AI Robot Strategy" summarizing the development and popularization measures of AI robots. (Phoenix.com)

Company Dynamics

PowerChina Secures Overseas Orders Worth 57.8 Billion Yuan This Year

According to the "Yangtze River Business Daily", the overseas business of PowerChina Group Co., Ltd. has witnessed explosive growth. From January to February 2026, the company's overseas contract value was 40.888 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 19.92%. As of now, it has won six major overseas projects, with a cumulative contract value of 57.836 billion yuan. (Jiemian News)

Is Tesla Planning to Purchase Chinese Photovoltaic Equipment? The Company Responds: It's True

According to Shell Finance, there is a follow - up to the rumor that Tesla is "scooping up" Chinese photovoltaic products. On March 20th, a market rumor said that the Tesla team plans to purchase a relatively large - scale Chinese photovoltaic equipment, involving several listed companies. On the morning of March 20th, a photovoltaic company confirmed the above news and revealed that the contract scale is in the gigawatt level. (Caixin)

Amazon Launches Four Major Support Programs for New Sellers in 2026, Helping New Sellers Win at the Starting Line of the Next - Generation Cross - Border Supply Chain

On March 18th, 2026, Amazon Global Selling officially announced the launch of four major support programs for new sellers in 2026, namely the Global Expansion Acceleration Program, the New Start Incentive Program, the Intelligent Operation Worry - Free Program, and the Local Support Empowerment Program. These programs are committed to systematically reducing the threshold for new sellers to go global in four dimensions: global operation, cost reduction and efficiency improvement, AI empowerment, and local support, accelerating the start - up and success of new sellers, and helping more new sellers to layout cross - border e - commerce in a faster, lighter, and simpler way. (Jiemian News)

Industry Trends

Cross - Border E - Commerce Returns No Longer "Take a Detour" from April 1st, and Goods Can Be Returned across Customs Regions Nationwide

To further promote cross - border e - commerce exports, the General Administration of Customs issued an announcement, stating that starting from April 1st, 2026, the cross - customs - region return model for cross - border e - commerce retail export goods will be promoted across all customs in the country. The cross - customs - region return of cross - border e - commerce retail export goods refers to the regulatory model in which when the goods exported by cross - border e - commerce enterprises for retail are returned overseas, they are no longer required to be returned to the original export customs, but can flexibly choose any customs port in the country to handle the return entry procedures. It is reported that the General Administration of Customs issued an announcement in November 2024, clarifying that starting from December 15th of that year, a pilot of the cross - customs - region return regulatory model for cross - border e - commerce retail exports would be carried out in 20 directly - affiliated customs such as Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Harbin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Urumqi. After one - year's pilot, it is now ready for national promotion. (Xinhua News Agency)

The Non - ferrous Metals Industry Is Witnessing a Wave of Overseas Acquisitions

According to the "Economic Information Daily", since the beginning of this year, listed companies in the non - ferrous metals industry have been particularly active in mergers and acquisitions of overseas mining assets. These include: JCHX Mining Management Co., Ltd. acquiring all the mining rights assets of Cordoba Mining and its subsidiaries in Colombia; Jiangxi Copper Group Co., Ltd.'s wholly - owned subsidiary making a tender offer for UK - based SolGold; ShengTun Mining Group Co., Ltd. completing the equity acquisition of Canadian Loncor Gold; Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. planning to acquire all the issued common shares of Canadian Allied Gold; Luoyang Molybdenum Co., Ltd. completing the acquisition of 100% equity of three gold mines in Canada; Aluminum Corporation of China Limited planning to set up a joint venture with Rio Tinto in Brazil and making a cash acquisition of 68.596% of the shares of Brazilian aluminum company. (Jiemian News)

Agency: The Global Revenue of Micro - Short Dramas Is Expected to Reach $14 Billion in 2026

Data from market research agency Omdia shows that the global revenue of micro - short dramas reached $11 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $14 billion by the end of 2026. Among them, the market outside China contributes $3 billion, and the United States has now become the largest international market. It is expected that by 2026, the United States will account for 50% of the micro - short drama revenue outside China, reaching $1.5 billion, highlighting the rapid global expansion of this content form. Omdia's analysis of mobile usage data shows that the daily time American users spend watching micro - short dramas on mobile apps has exceeded the time they spend watching Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video on their mobile phones. (36Kr)

This article is from the WeChat official account "Comprehensive Service Port for Zhejiang Enterprises Going Global", author: Zhejiang Enterprises Going Global.