Shenzhen’s cross-border merchants throw their arms up in despair as Ukraine crisis, Covid-19 lockdown create perfect storm

For Candice Zhang, a small cross-border merchant based in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, the past three weeks have been particularly tough for her business.

She has lost about half her usual orders since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war at the end of February, and this week her cross-border e-commerce business has completely ground to a halt due to the city’s lockdown to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak.