The proposed study presupposes the adherence to the quantitative research paradigm and secondary data. The choice is justified by the fact that to answer research questions, specific correlation methods should be used, which presupposes the collection and analysis of quantitative and statistical data. Additionally, the complexity of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the employment of secondary data as a way to guarantee the credibility of findings.
There are two main research questions of this study as follows:
  * What is the correlation between cross-border e-commerce and Chinese international trade?
  * How does cross-border e-commerce impact Chinese international trade?
In order to research these two questions, the study employs quantitative research methods and secondary data.
Firstly, the correlation research will be conducted to establish the relationship between two closely connected entities, such as cross-border e-commerce and international trade. It will help to determine how one aspect impacts another and what are possible changes that can be observed. Data of the most influential platforms such as AliExpress, Taobao, or RED, will be correlated with information about international trade, recent changes, and tendencies that can be linked to these organisations. The correlational analysis presupposes the employment of a quantitative statistical technique to characterise the nature of relations between two investigated phenomena.
Secondly, the data acquired during the correlation research will be analysed with the primary goal to conclude where there are positive changes in the second variable (Chinese international trade) that can be related to the rise of cross-border e-commerce and whether they can be traced at different periods. This approach is linked to the second research question and helps to cogitate about the existence of positive or negative trends that should be considered while analysing the problem.