A view of a warehouse of Canda Supply Chain Management Co Ltd, based in the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA), East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to NETDA] 

The import value of cross-border e-commerce in the Nantong Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA), East China's Jiangsu province in the first half of this year was 50 million yuan ($8.57 million), a staggering 115 percent year-on-year increase, official statistics show. 

The sales revenue during this period was 78 million yuan, with sales orders up to 266,000. 

One of the reasons behind this boom is the series of measures NETDA rolled out to help companies weather the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

NETDA is presently home to Chinese cross-border e-commerce giants including Tmall, Kuaishou, Meituan and Pinduoduo. 

Canda Supply Chain Management Co Ltd, which is based in the zone, was among the biggest contributors to the sector's growth. 

According to a company representative, sales in the first half of this year alone were nearly equivalent to the total made for the whole of last year. Earlier this year, Canda opened two additional warehouses, which makes it possible to handle more than 50,000 orders a day to cope with the spike in demand. 

Founded in 2020, Canda is the first cross-border e-commerce company in Nantong. There are nearly 1,000 types of commodities, including cosmetic products, pet food and daily necessities, at the company's warehouses.