In the first three quarters, Guangdong’s foreign trade import and export increased by 11.1% year-on-year.

In a recent interview held on October 21st in Guangzhou, Zhang Ke, the Deputy Director of the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, shared insights on Guangdong’s foreign trade performance for the first three quarters of this year. He reported that the province’s total imports and exports reached 6.75 trillion yuan, marking an impressive year-on-year growth of 11.1%. Specifically, exports stood at 4.39 trillion yuan, up 9.1%, while imports totaled 2.36 trillion yuan, reflecting a 15% increase.

During a press conference organized by the Guangdong Provincial Government’s Information Office, Zhang emphasized that the foreign trade in Guangdong is showing steady progress, setting new historical highs for this time of year. He noted the resilience and vitality of the province’s foreign trade sector, asserting that a solid foundation supports this ongoing positive trend.

Zhang also highlighted the growth in trade with key partners, reporting positive figures across the board. For instance, trade with ASEAN, Guangdong’s largest trading partner, reached 1.08 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.1%. Similarly, trade with Hong Kong, the United States, the European Union, and Taiwan grew by 15.3%, 7.3%, 5.5%, and 16.3% respectively. Trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries also saw significant growth, reaching 2.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.8%.

Moreover, Zhang pointed out that private enterprises in Guangdong are thriving, with their imports and exports totaling 4.3 trillion yuan, which is a remarkable 17.1% growth compared to last year. This growth rate surpasses the overall provincial trade increase by six percentage points, and private enterprises now account for 63.6% of Guangdong’s total foreign trade, up by 3.2 percentage points.

To support this positive momentum, Zhang mentioned that Guangdong Customs has been focusing on responding to the needs of businesses by implementing a series of reform measures. These include innovative initiatives such as “Combination Ports” and “One Port Pass,” which streamline customs and terminal operations, ultimately reducing compliance costs and logistics expenses for enterprises involved in imports and exports.