AI Competitiveness of New Global Brands: Opportunities in the New Decade of Cross-border Sector

Since the first China Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone was launched in Hangzhou in 2015, the new decade has ushered in an era focused on global brand building. Chinese brands expanding overseas are currently in two epoch-making critical head-start periods. Facing the "integrated R&D, production, and sales" head-start phase, research-driven brands are leveraging technology and aesthetics as their passport to transcend national boundaries and cultural barriers. Facing the "AI" head-start phase, a brand ecosystem that integrates human left-brain thinking, human right-brain creativity, and artificial intelligence empowers platforms, products, services, and organizational structures to build new competitive advantages for global brand expansion through AI.

On July 23 in Hangzhou, the 10th Global Cross-Border E-Commerce Summit, also known as the 2026 Global New Brand AI Competitiveness Conference, will take "Seize the Lead in Tech-Aesthetics" as its core theme. The event will bring together brand decision-makers, ecosystem partners, and industry leaders to collectively explore product innovation in the AI era, ecosystem upgrading, intelligent agent implementation, and organizational transformation for global operations.

Part 1: Platforms and Service Providers Unveil AI Progress and Deployment: What New Landscape Will Overseas Brand Expansion Embrace?

For the first time ever, this conference will gather AI insights from leading platforms across all categories and independent site operators.

Zhang Kuo, Vice President of Alibaba Group and President of Alibaba International Station: He will explain how Accio Work opens up omnichannel opportunities and new product development possibilities for brands going global.

Qiu Sheng, Vice President of Amazon China and Head of Market & Partnership Expansion for Amazon Global Selling Asia-Pacific: He will reveal how SPN+AI enhances efficiency across the entire service network.

Shen Chengang, Founder & CEO of Meetsocial by Feishu Shennuo: He will break down the full-value reshaping and technological innovation of the new-generation AI Agent for overseas marketing.

Qiao Guanyuan, Vice President of SHOPLINE: He will thoroughly explain how Agentic AI breaks through cross-border market involution and unleashes new momentum for independent site globalization.

The simultaneous completion of AI strategic implementation across the three core overseas expansion pillars—platforms, marketing, and independent sites—marks a full consensus on intelligent transformation at the infrastructure level. Brands that remain on the sidelines may miss out on the new wave of industry dividends.

Part 2: Brand Sessions Focus on "Scaling Up and Product Diversification": Two Global Brand Growth Dialogues—Who Will Capture the Next Wave of Opportunities?

The two themed roundtable dialogues at the conference have distinct focal points, but both center on the growth logic of "AI + Global Branding" to present two critical self-assessment questions for overseas enterprises.

Morning Session [Dialogue on Growth] At the Intersection of Globalization and AI: Who Will Become the Next 10-Billion-Yuan Brand? Ren Zhenhao, Executive Director of the National Service Trade Fund; Pan Zhidong, President of Dreame Global AI Hardware Business Group; Cao Hui, General Manager of Sleepace; and Chen Yalu, Global VP & Asia-Pacific General Manager of Seel, will engage in a discussion hosted by Liu Chen, Co-Founder of Ebrun and CEO of Mati Society. The core topic will explore what capabilities enterprises need to develop into the next batch of 10-billion-yuan overseas brands.

Afternoon Session ["New" Dialogue] How AI Creates New Categories, New Brands, and New Competitive Advantages: Chen Bin, Founder & Chairman of Lockin Technology; Zhang Xiaolin, Founder & CEO of CATLINK; and Li Xiaohua, President of NAVO and Founder of Jinyongxin Technology, will gather for a conversation hosted by Shen Ying, Executive Director of F&F Capital. The discussion will dig into how to build new categories, define new products, and construct AI-driven competitiveness.

One dialogue focuses on breaking through existing scale limits, while the other targets exploring incremental markets. Together, they fully cover the two core development priorities of overseas brands.

Part 3: Elevate Strategic Vision: How Can We Fully Seize the Opportunity of "Seizing the Lead in Tech-Aesthetics"?

Around the annual theme of "Seize the Lead in Tech-Aesthetics", the conference will break down actionable strategies progressively from three dimensions: cognition, mindset, and organization, inviting distinguished guests to share implementation ideas at different levels.

At the Cognition Level, Liu Guanzhong, known as the "Father of Chinese Industrial Design" and Professor at the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University, will deliver the opening keynote. He will clarify the underlying logic of integrating technology and aesthetics as Chinese brands go global, laying a solid foundation for top-level understanding of global brand building.

At the Mindset Level: Breaking Through Global Brand Perception: Jiang Nanchun, Founder & Chairman of Focus Media, will deliver a high-impact afternoon keynote. He will focus on capturing the minds of overseas consumers and solve the cross-cultural marketing challenges faced by Chinese brands expanding globally.

At the Organization Level: Implementing Global Team Management: Yang Jun, Investment Partner of Sequoia China, will share insights before the closing session. Addressing the pain points of multinational enterprise management, he will break down practical solutions for building global teams and coordinating with local teams.

Finally, Zheng Min, Chairman of Ebrun and Dean of Ebrun Think Tank, will release the 2026 Global New Brand AI Competitiveness Report. The report integrates all industry insights and implementation methodologies, serving as a systematic reference for participating enterprises.

Part 4: Broader Perspectives: Practical Brand Sharing Across More Categories, Channels, and Scenarios

Beyond the viewpoints from platforms, capital, and ecosystem players, the conference will also feature remarkable sharing from multiple leading entrepreneurs, presenting hands-on exploration of AI-powered overseas expansion in niche segments.

Xu Weiqiang, Chairman of M-Link Group: He will discuss how integrated brands combine with AI to explore a win-win new model for industrial product overseas expansion.

Zhang Xingang, Founder & Chairman of Rockbros Group: He will focus on the new consumer cycling segment to build a global ecosystem brand.

Liu Bo, Founder & Chairman of Fanding International Group: He will share the complete service model for 10-billion-yuan-level intelligent overseas supply chains.

Peng Shan, Partner & CGO of AhaCreator: She will explain the path to building an AI-driven overseas social media marketing system for brands.

Part 5: Jiang Nanchun Meetup: Global Brand Private Board Session—Discussing Brand Perception and Independent Sites

On the day before the conference (July 22), an exclusive closed-door "Global Brand Private Board Session" will be arranged, open only to brand founders with a limited quota of 10 attendees.

Jiang Nanchun, Founder & Chairman of Focus Media, will deliver a keynote on perception strategies during the global brand building process.

Qiao Guanyuan, Vice President of SHOPLINE, will share insights and case studies on how independent sites and AI accelerate overseas brand expansion.

The session will be followed by nearly two hours of on-site Q&A and discussion, along with an exclusive fine-dining gathering and networking session.

If you are a brand decision-maker, a lead in cross-border e-commerce product/operation/marketing/R&D/logistics, or an ecosystem partner representing tech services, platforms, or investment institutions, this conference in Hangzhou on July 23 is worth clearing your schedule for.