Customs officers inspect two parcels from Liege, Belgium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Nov 11. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

A shipment of parcels from Liege, Belgium wascleared in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Nov 11, marking the first use ofthe electronic World Trade Platform's(eWTP)digital clearance system.

The eWTP, initiated by Alibaba, takes advantage of the large e-commerce network space and low entry costs to help small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participate in the global market.

The platform benefits SMEs by providinga one-stop solution for online customs clearance, settlement exchange, tax refunds, andlogistics and financial services.

Since it was first proposed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma in 2016, the eWTP has been recognized by the G20 and adopted by cities in China, Malaysia, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Belgium.

Hangzhou's imports and exportsin the first three quarters of the year amounted to 434.89 billion yuan ($64.8 billion), up 7.3 percentyear on year, according toa statement by Qianjiang Customs on Oct 26.

The total foreign trade volume of private companies in Hangzhou in the first three quarters of the year was registered at 247.24 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 69.6 percent.