General

Promoting innovative trade development and accelerating the construction of a powerful trade country are important components of China's efforts to promote high-level opening up to the outside world. They are also essential to better smooth the international trade cycle and achieve common development with the world.

This year's Government Work Report states that "actively promote the accession to high standard economic and trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), actively compare relevant rules, regulations, management, and standards, and steadily expand institutional openness." "Continue to play the supporting role of import and export in the economy."

Foreign trade import and export is an important engine for driving economic growth. In the past five years, China has firmly expanded its opening up to the outside world, promoting stable and high-quality foreign trade imports and exports. The total import and export volume of goods has increased by 8.6% annually, exceeding 40 trillion yuan, ranking first in the world for many consecutive years. 152 comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones have been established to support the construction of a number of overseas warehouses, and new forms and models of foreign trade have flourished.

Fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and work hard to implement the decisions and arrangements of the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress. All regions and departments have stated that they will accelerate reform and innovation, give prominence to respecting and stimulating the creativity of foreign trade enterprises, explore the use of new technologies and tools such as big data and artificial intelligence to enable the innovative development of foreign trade, and constantly cultivate new advantages in participating in international trade and economic cooperation and competition.

Cultivate new business forms and display a new atmosphere

In the fierce international competition, cultivating new momentum for high-quality development of foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce and other new business forms and models play a positive role.

Since this year, various regions and departments have successively issued policies to stabilize foreign trade, coordinate and promote the healthy development of new business forms and models such as cross-border e-commerce, market procurement trade, and overseas warehousing, improve the operational efficiency of foreign trade, and ensure the smooth operation of the industrial chain supply chain.

Broaden access to orders, lower trade barriers, and help small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises embrace the international trade market through cross-border e-commerce.

In March, in the cotton drawing workshop of Suzhou the Taihu Lake Snow Silk Co., Ltd., workers were stepping up the production of silk quilts. "The cross-border e-commerce business not only broadens overseas sales channels, but also can grasp the preferences of overseas markets and product end users through export cross-border e-commerce data analysis, providing important parameters for supply chain management and new product development." Dai Yan, Deputy General Manager of the company, introduced. From January to February this year, the company's export volume was about 6.9 million yuan, up 17.1% year-on-year.

Located in Wujiang District, Suzhou City, in the southeast of Jiangsu Province, the silk textile industry has a long history. Entering a new era, taking the express train of cross-border e-commerce, Wujiang's silk industry has accelerated to the world stage.

"Cross border e-commerce enterprises have better met the personalized and customized needs of consumers by creating flexible supply chains that gather factors and react quickly." Sheng Qiuping, Vice Minister of Commerce, said that cross border e-commerce has significantly lowered the threshold for specialization in international trade, making a large number of small and micro entities become operators of new types of trade.

To meet the export needs of multiple varieties, multiple batches, and small batches, and facilitate market procurement and trade for small commodities to rush to the large market.

Yunnan is rich in products, and specialty products such as clothing and prepackaged food are popular with overseas consumers. Since the pilot opening of market procurement trade in Yunnan Ruili International Commodity Trading Market, qualified operators have implemented policies such as "one time declaration, one time inspection, one time release" for purchasing goods, which has solved export problems such as small and medium-sized enterprises' export without tickets and complex customs clearance, making the export of small commodities more convenient.

In 2022, there were 386 newly registered entities in the procurement trade of Ruili Market, with 9229 newly registered commodities, a freight volume of 31700 tons, and a trade volume of 950 million yuan.

"This year has started well, and I believe that business will get better and better!" said Tao Qiping, manager of Ruili Qifan Import and Export Co., Ltd. Since launching export through market procurement trade, the company's cumulative export freight volume has exceeded 10000 tons.

Extending the service chain and improving logistics efficiency, overseas warehouses help more small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises efficiently obtain orders.

Opening stores on cross-border e-commerce platforms is a daily necessary task for Li Guotao, General Manager of Hubei Sumai Cross-border E-commerce Co., Ltd. Customers from the United States, Canada, and Mexico ordered a batch of home based pajamas. Li Guotao quickly arranged for the operation staff to submit the shipment, and the overseas warehouse to package and deliver.

"It is expected that the customer will receive the goods within 2 days." Li Guotao introduced that after the delivery of the goods from overseas warehouses, the company will analyze the daily order volume, directly request the manufacturing enterprise based on the international trade market demand, negotiate design and production plans, and improve the competitiveness of the product in the overseas market. Currently, the company sends 170000 export packages each year, valued at approximately $4.7 million.

Expand new markets and open up new prospects

The high-quality development of foreign trade cannot be achieved without an open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win international environment. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has implemented a more proactive opening-up strategy, deeply participated in global industrial division and cooperation, maintained a diverse and stable international economic pattern and economic and trade relations, and contributed China's strength to the growth of global trade.

In front of the departure hall of the Liudong production base of Dongfeng Liuqi, a group of brand new cars are leaving. "Di!" The staff beside the car scanned the QR code of the car body with a code scanner and quickly completed the shipment registration.

"The holding of the first China Arab Summit has strengthened the confidence of enterprises in expanding new markets. Our car sales in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and other countries have jumped from zero to 2000 units, and this year's sales will definitely increase!" Zeng Yingying, Director of the Middle East Region of Dongfeng Liuzhou Automobile Co., Ltd., introduced that in January this year, the company's overseas sales increased by 22% year-on-year, and sales revenue increased by 37% year-on-year.

The relevant person in charge of the General Administration of Customs stated that China has become a major trading partner in more than 140 countries and regions, and will, as always, firmly implement a proactive opening-up strategy, accelerate the construction of a global network of high standard free trade zones, deeply integrate into the global industrial chain supply chain system, and expand the "circle of friends" and "partner group" of trade cooperation.

High quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) has led to active regional trade exchanges.

On January 2, RCEP officially entered into force for Indonesia. Since then, the number of effective members among the 15 signatories to the RCEP has reached 14.

"This year has achieved a good start, and we have exported over 70 tons of aquatic and marine products to Indonesia, enjoying a tariff reduction of over 200000 yuan." Wang Xinlin, Deputy General Manager of Qingdao Sanmu Fisheries Co., Ltd., said, "With the certificate of origin, the tariff rate of aquatic and marine products we export to Indonesia has been reduced from 10% to zero, and it is expected to drive order growth of over 10% throughout the year."

Yuan Bo, Deputy Director of the Asian Research Institute of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, said that measures such as tariff reduction and trade facilitation covered by the RCEP have brought tangible benefits to enterprises in reducing costs and increasing efficiency, stimulating the potential for intraregional trade cooperation.

We will work together to build high-quality development along the the Belt and Road, and take new steps in economic and trade cooperation.

"Boom..." With the completion of container lifting and train coupling, an international freight train of China Laos Railway carrying 19 cold chain containers and about 280 tons of fresh vegetables left Kunming Central Station of China Railway Union in Yunnan. The "China Laos Thailand" round-trip train for the whole process of railway transportation successfully launched.

As a landmark project of high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", the China Laos Railway has gradually become an international logistics channel to promote the construction of the China Laos Economic Corridor. At present, the goods transported by the China Laos railway have expanded from more than 10 at the initial stage to more than 1200, with the total freight volume exceeding 2.5 million tons.

Develop mutual trade among border residents based on local conditions and create characteristic border trade.

Adjacent to Vietnam, close to ASEAN, and with the geographical advantage of Pingxiang in Guangxi, it has provided great convenience for the development of mutual trade.

Walking into the downtown area of Pingxiang Puzhai, anchors with handheld devices occasionally walk through it, enthusiastically introducing a wide range of goods to the audience. Just after the truck carrying jackfruit arrived, the mutual aid group and loading and unloading team organized by the border trade cooperatives immediately came forward to unload, sort out and load the truck. These fresh fruits will be shipped to major cities in China through the new land sea channel in the west.

"This year's orders are floating like snowflakes, and we plan to expand the range of trade," said Li Fude, a villager from Liuban Village, Pingxiang Town, who has been engaged in cross-border fruit trade for three years. From January to February of this year, the import and export volume of mutual trade among border residents in Guangxi reached 6.17 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 177.9%.

Set sail for a new journey and create new advantages

Known as the "barometer" and "wind vane" of China's foreign trade, the Canton Fair is about to fully resume offline exhibition.

Chu Shijia, director of the China Foreign Trade Center, introduced that the 133rd Canton Fair is scheduled to open on April 15 this year, and the fourth phase of the exhibition hall will be opened for the first time, expanding the exhibition area from 1.18 million square meters to 1.5 million square meters. Currently, invitations have been issued to 950000 domestic and foreign buyers, 177 global partners, 224 business institutions at embassies and consulates abroad, and more than 50 domestic investment partners.

Fearless of difficulties and obstacles, and winning the future through practical work, various regions and departments have advanced to launch actions to ensure stability and improve quality in foreign trade, escort foreign trade enterprises to seize orders and expand the market, and enhance international market competitiveness.

Make good use of new business forms and release new momentum.

The following policies for the development of favorable new business forms and models have been issued:

The Ministry of Finance and other three departments have issued a tax policy on cross-border e-commerce export returns, proposing to exempt goods that meet relevant conditions from import tariffs, import value-added tax, and consumption tax, in order to reduce the cost of cross-border e-commerce enterprises' export returns.

Chengdu, Sichuan, explicitly encourages innovative, green, and high value-added products to leverage cross-border e-commerce to achieve the integration of goods trade and productive service trade, promote industrial chain upgrading through "cooperative research and development, customized production, product export, and after-sales maintenance", and accelerate the transformation from "quality production" to "brand building".

The head of the Foreign Trade Department of the Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce stated that Hubei will identify a number of provincial cross-border e-commerce industrial parks, promote comprehensive foreign trade service improvement actions, and strive for a market procurement trade and cross-border e-commerce export growth of more than 20% in 2023.

Explore new demands and expand new increments.

Opening the list of tasks for stabilizing foreign trade in 2023 in various regions and supporting foreign trade enterprises to expand overseas is a top priority.

Guangdong proposes to hold major exhibitions such as the Canton Fair and the High Speed Fair at a high level, and consolidate and expand diversified international trade markets such as the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Jiangsu stated that while stabilizing the European and American markets, it is striving to open up markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Jilin proposed to comprehensively deepen regional strategic cooperation and organize economic and trade exchanges and promotion activities in countries and regions such as Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.

The Ministry of Commerce stated that it should play the role of business institutions stationed abroad and assist local organizations to organize enterprises to carry out trade cooperation overseas. Strengthen research on international market segments, timely share supply and demand information in various markets, and help enterprises obtain foreign trade orders.

Smooth supply chain and improve service level.

Logistics is a key link in stabilizing the operation of the supply chain of the cross-border trade industry chain. At present, the maximum daily clearance capacity of inbound and outbound heavy vehicles at border highway ports in Guangxi exceeds 1700, an increase of 30% compared to the average level in 2021. The relevant person in charge of the Guangxi Department of Commerce pointed out that this year, Guangxi will focus on promoting the daily traffic capacity of heavy vehicles at border highway ports to exceed 1800 vehicles, achieving 24-hour arrival of goods around Nanning, Chongzuo, and Hanoi, Vietnam, promoting various transportation methods to expand the import of mutual market goods from ASEAN countries, and deepening the reform of secondary market transactions for mutual market goods.

  Promote high-quality development of foreign trade and make greater contributions to building a new development pattern.