The Sustainability and Social Responsibility Sub-Forum, a highlight of the 5th China New E-commerce Conference, took place on July 27 at the Baishan Building in Yanbian, Jilin Province. Co-hosted by Toutiao and Youth.cn, the sub-forum, themed “Promoting Social Responsibility for High-Quality Development,” brought together 120 representatives from businesses, academia, and grassroots organizations to discuss integrating social responsibility with commercial innovation in the new e-commerce era. The event also launched the “Trendy Chinese Brands New E-commerce Action Plan.”
Safeguarding Consumer Rights Through Collaborative Governance
As e-commerce flourishes, protecting consumer rights remains critical to the industry’s sustainable growth.
The China Foundation of Consumer Protection’s E-commerce Committee announced the 2025 China E-commerce Consumer Protection Initiative to address issues like counterfeit goods, live streamers’ harmful behaviors, and inadequate platform oversight. The initiative will partner with national institutions to release an annual “Recommended Products List” based on rigorous testing and evaluations to guide informed consumer choices.
Corporate efforts are also strengthening consumer protection. Guo Haili, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Zhihu, stated, “Trustworthiness is the cornerstone of our community ecosystem and a fundamental quality for Internet platforms today.” In 2024, Zhihu removed over 31 million pieces of harmful content and introduced its AI-driven “zhida.ai” tool to ensure information traceability, earning recognition from the Cyberspace Administration of China for its contributions to the Operation Qinglang.
Bao Yuntian, Executive President of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce’s Folk Cultural Relics and Art Chamber, urged businesses to adopt transparent pricing, eliminate false marketing, and end fraudulent auctions. He also advocated for industry associations to establish a business credit rating system to foster fair competition.
“A healthy industry ecosystem requires every participant’s commitment,” said Shen Yang, Public Affairs Director at Yowant. Collaborative efforts are forming a robust “safety net” for consumers, building a foundation of trust for e-commerce’s high-quality growth.
Empowering Youth Employment Through New Business Models
Emerging e-commerce models are creating new job opportunities for young people, with platforms providing support for employees at every stage of their careers. Li Jiwei, Executive Director of Meituan Research Institute, reported that Meituan’s platform supported 3.36 million active delivery workers monthly in 2024, a 16% year-on-year increase. To enhance riders’ welfare, Meituan introduced the industry’s first “Rider Growth Plan,” offering onboarding support, leadership training, educational opportunities, and career transition pathways. The company invested over 1.5 billion yuan in occupational injury insurance, piloted pension subsidies, distributed 800,000 smart helmets, launched a “Zero Red-Light Violation Award” to promote safe deliveries, and established 50,000 rider rest stations with support from 220,000 partner businesses.
Grassroots entrepreneurs are also thriving. Zhou Xiaoyu, founder of Changchun Tangyin Media, shared how his band transitioned from bar performances to Douyin livestreaming, blending traditional and pop music to gain a million followers in a month. This success not only sustained the band but also inspired young people to join cultural preservation efforts. In 2024, his company partnered with the Jilin Provincial Song and Dance Troupe to create a professional livestreaming studio, integrating performance, broadcasting, cultural transmission, and research to promote traditional culture.
New e-commerce is unlocking youth creativity, enabling personal growth while injecting momentum into societal development.
Revitalizing Rural Economies Through Digital Platforms
E-commerce platforms are bridging urban and rural economies, empowering agriculture. Since 2020, Youth.cn, a co-host of the sub-forum, has supported rural development through the Communist Youth League’s “Qingyun China” livestreaming initiative, aimed at helping rural communities. Youth.cn also provides training for rural e-commerce talent, runs two platforms—“Youth.cn Premium” and “Youth Selection,” and launched the “New E-commerce Youth Talent Support Plan” to revitalize rural areas.
At the sub-forum, Douyin’s AI avatar “Fei Fei” showcased new achievements under the platform’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Initiative, which empowers rural cultural preservation. By combining traditional craftsmanship with modern e-commerce—through traffic boosts, brand marketing, and livestream sales—Douyin is helping local specialty products find broader markets. For instance, the topic “Intangible Cultural Heritage Celebrates the Spring Festival” during the 2025 Spring Festival attracted 3.07 billion views. In terms of intangible cultural heritage product sales, Yixing ware and Jingdezhen porcelain ranked among the top five. Additionally, the Xi’an Dongcang Drum Music Association live-streamed their performance of popular music adaptations, which led to their offline shows selling out. Ma Tao, project manager of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department at Douyin Group, stated that in the future, they will continue to promote multi-party collaboration to support rural revitalization.
Integrating e-commerce with rural areas not only strengthens local economic growth but also fuels sustainable digital progress for rural revitalization.
Business for Good: Fulfilling Social Responsibility to Achieve Win-Win Coexistence
The high-quality development of the new e-commerce industry not only entails commercial success but also requires enterprises to actively fulfill social responsibilities, playing an important role in promoting social harmony and common development.
Liu Xiaochun, Director of the Internet Law and Governance Research Center at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that e-commerce platform companies should proactively embrace the mission and social responsibilities of the times, positioning coordinated symbiosis and shared prosperity as the direction for platform economy development. By connecting upstream and downstream industries through platform ecosystems, they can play a key role in expanding domestic demand, stabilizing employment, and benefiting people’s livelihoods. High-quality development of the platform economy also demands platforms to actively pursue green transformation, develop low-carbon technologies and circular economy models, and expand into overseas markets to unlock new opportunities and achieve mutually beneficial results.
The neo-Chinese style tea brand, Chagee, fulfills social responsibility by integrating public welfare into its business core. Li Yifan, Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility at Chagee, introduced the “Tea Seedling” program, which provides nutritional subsidies and stationery packages to children in need in Baoshan, Yunnan. In terms of disability support, Chagee has opened more than ten “Silent Stores” globally employing hearing-impaired staff; notably, two hearing-impaired employees participated in ringing the bell at the brand’s NASDAQ listing ceremony.
Embedding public welfare into business operations shows that “business for good” is not an abstract concept. The virtuous cycle formed among corporate development, user benefits, and social progress provides a clear example of how new e-commerce can achieve sustainable development.
Building Consensus: Social Responsibility is a Must, Not Optional
At the Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility sub-forum, real-life practices led to a strong consensus on social responsibility, with various stakeholders showing their commitment through actions.
At the conclusion of the sub-forum, representatives from multiple enterprises signed the “Joint Pledge Against Content about Unethical and Illegal Financial Practices,” calling on all parties to collaborate in curbing the spread of illicit activities and protecting the order of new e-commerce and consumer rights.
“Social responsibility is not optional; it's a must.” Enterprises are demonstrating through innovative practices that fulfilling social responsibility is not a burden, but a key driver of long-term competitiveness. As the idea of business for good becomes a shared consensus, the path to high-quality development grows clearer. The sub-forum held in China’s northeastern border region has set a clear direction for corporate responsibility in the digital era, fueling the sustainable development of China’s new e-commerce.