ZHENGZHOU - The second Global Cross-border E-commerce Conference opened Thursday in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province.

Highlighting cross-border e-commerce's role in world trade, the two-day conference will have panel discussions on quality oversight, regulatory innovation as well as standards and rules in the sector.

"The development of cross-border e-commerce could help to innovate trade patterns, lead consumption trends, create more jobs and prompt industrial restructuring," said He Jinping, vice-governor of Henan, at the opening ceremony.

Cross-border e-commerce trade has flourished in China in recent years. Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that China's e-commerce exports surged 41.3 percent to 33.65 billion yuan ($5.3 billion) in 2017, while imports rocketed by 116.4 percent to 56.59 billion yuan.

In Henan alone, there are over 4,000 registered e-commerce companies.

"The fast expansion of cross-border e-commerce has offered opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, long marginalized in global trade, to participate in world trade," said Long Yongtu, conference president.

More than 1,600 people from international organizations, government agencies, e-commerce platforms and express delivery companies attended the event.