Amidst global tariff challenges, international trade has taken on a dual pattern of “fragmentation” and “re-globalization”. Geopolitics, technological competition, and climate change are reshaping the rules, prompting many countries to seek a balance between open cooperation and self-protection. In response to the national call to help domestic foreign trade enterprises achieve a smooth transition and to fulfill the responsibilities of leading enterprises in stabilizing foreign trade, GEM and JD Industrial (a subsidiary of JD) signed the “Overseas Resilient Supply Chain Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement” on April 18, 2025, at GEM’s Jingmen Industrial Park. Vice President of JD, Chen Esheng, and Professor Xu Kaihua, Party Secretary and Chairman of GEM, attended the signing ceremony.

▲ GEM and JD sign the “GEM & JD Overseas Resilient Supply Chain Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement”.

According to the agreement, based on the construction needs of GEM’s global cooperation project at the International Green Industrial Park (IGIP), GEM plans to procure goods worth no less than RMB 5 billion through JD industrial’s platform.

Relying on the direct shipping route from Wuhan, Hubei to Indonesia and GEM’s Indonesian industrial park, the two parties will jointly build a quick-response supply chain system for Chinese enterprises expanding into Southeast Asia. This will help foreign trade and other enterprises rapidly open up the Southeast Asian market and promote the stabilization of overseas supply chains. JD Industrial will utilize its exceptional digital technologies and supply chain advantages to assist GEM in upgrading its supply chain digitalization. Together, they will construct a global matrix-style fulfillment and supply guarantee system tailored for GEM.

▲ Professor Xu Kaihua, Chairman of GEM, delivers a speech.

Chairman Xu Kaihua expressed sincere gratitude to JD for choosing GEM as a partner. He stated that in this moment of critical global tariff trade wars, JD has established a RMB 200 billion procurement supply chain for “export-to-domestic sales”, reflecting the sentiment and responsibility of Chinese enterprise. JD is a great company, and GEM pays respect to JD!

Chairman Xu Kaihua believes that in an era of intensified global competition and urgent need for industrial chain alliances, GEM’s nickel resource project in Indonesia is progressing rapidly, offering broad prospects for alliance and cooperation with JD. At a time when many foreign trade enterprises are under pressure, GEM’s decisive alliance with JD conveys a message of strength. Both parties share a common vision and mission, working together toward national revitalization and supporting the global expansion of China’s industrial supply chains.

Chairman Xu Kaihua noted that JD is an exemplary enterprise in standardized governance and global development. GEM is rapidly advancing its globalization and internationalization of corporate governance structures, aiming to build a management team with international competitiveness. In the future, GEM looks forward to establishing long-term and in-depth cooperation with reputable enterprises like JD Industrial. Through supply chain integration and resource synergy, focusing on value creation, both parties will jointly build an overseas supply chain alliance to enhance competitiveness and maximize strategic interests.

Additionally, Chairman Xu Kaihua introduced the International Green Industrial Park in Indonesia (IGIP Industrial Park) invested and constructed by GEM. As the world’s first full-chain green industrial park for “nickel smelting—precursor—cathode materials”, it will create the world’s first green nickel industrial park to meet the global new energy industry’s demand for green nickel.

Finally, Chairman Xu Kaihua emphasized that Chinese enterprises should remain confident and continue to “go global firmly and adopting a global perspective”. By combining supply chain enterprises with manufacturing entities, GEM and JD can leverage their respective strengths to lead the Chinese supply chain’s overseas expansion. The two companies aim to explore a stabilization model for overseas supply chains and win the “defensive battle for overseas supply chains”.

▲ Chen Esheng, Deputy General Manager of JD, delivers a speech.

In his speech, Deputy General Manager Chen Esheng expressed gratitude to GEM for responding to JD’s “RMB 200 billion export-to-domestic sales” support plan. Using the keywords of sentiment, innovation, and vision, he affirmed GEM’s global leadership in technological advancement, flexible overseas expansion, and the cultivation of international talent. He highlighted JD’s rapid progress in internationalization and emphasized the importance of cooperation with enterprises like GEM to JD’s global strategy. He expressed expectations for future cooperation and the realization of a global vision.

Subsequently, Wang Zhiwen, Deputy General Manager of JD Industrial, and Lu Xijin, Chairman of GEM’s Supervisory Board, formally signed the strategic cooperation agreement on behalf of both parties. Chen Esheng, Deputy General Manager of JD and Chairman Xu Kaihua witnessed the signing.

▲ GEM and JD hold a strategic cooperation signing ceremony.

As a leader in China’s circular economy and new energy materials, GEM’s collaboration with supply chain technology giant JD Industrial represents a strong partnership between two industry leaders. It is also a significant step in upgrading the global new energy industry chain. This further deepens the cooperation initiated in 2024, when both parties jointly created a new green recycling ecosystem and built a circular and digital supply chain and waste product recycling platform.

Industry insiders have noted that this cooperation sets a practical example of “domestic and international dual circulation”. The integrated solution for “customs clearance—warehousing—delivery” jointly built by the two parties in Indonesia is expected to provide a replicable logistics infrastructure template for new energy industry chain layouts in countries along the “Belt and Road Initiative”. This will propel Chinese manufacturing into a new phase of contract fulfillment in overseas expansion. It is estimated that this project will connect over 100 supply chain enterprises with the Southeast Asian market.

▲ The JD team and GEM team pose for a group photo.

In attendance at the signing ceremony were Xu Jiang, Director of JD Industrial’s Central China Region Metallurgy and Chemical Industry; Liu Yan, Director of Digital Solutions for the Central China Region; Hu Qian, Senior Manager of the Metallurgy and Chemical Industry for the Central China Region; Chen Binzhang, Supervisor of GEM; Pan Hua, Director, Senior Deputy General Manager, and Board Secretary of GEM; Mu Menggang, Senior Deputy General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of GEM; and Wang Qiang, Senior Deputy General Manager of GEM and General Manager of the Jingmen Industrial Park.