General

Customs data shows that in the first quarter of this year, the total import and export value of Xinjiang's foreign trade was RMB 68.07 billion, a year-on-year increase of 80.3%, ranking first in the country and achieving a "good start". At the recent theme press conference on promoting high-quality development in Xinjiang, He Guoqing, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce, and Alimu Wubuli, a second-level inspector of Urumqi Customs, jointly interpreted the "growth code" behind the eye-catching numbers.

The rapid growth of foreign trade imports and exports is primarily due to the unwavering adherence to the strategy of opening up to the west. In recent years, Xinjiang has given full play to its advantages in relying on the domestic market with a population of 1.4 billion and facing the Eurasian market with a population of 1.2 billion. It will closely combine the expansion of import and export with the integration of the "the Belt and Road" construction, actively build the Eurasian golden channel and open the "bridgehead" to the west, constantly expand the breadth and depth of opening to the west, and accelerate all-round and multi field exchanges and cooperation with neighboring countries, especially the five Central Asian countries, which has yielded fruitful results.

According to customs data, in the first quarter, the total import and export value of Xinjiang, China, to the five Central Asian countries was 53.18 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 84.5%, accounting for 78.1% of the total import and export value of Xinjiang's foreign trade during the same period. Among them, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are among the top three trading partners of Xinjiang. Over the same period, Xinjiang's total import and export value to countries along the "the Belt and Road" was 61.88 billion yuan, up 77.4%, accounting for 90.9%; The total import and export value to other RCEP member countries is 2.83 billion yuan, and the total import and export value to the EU is 1.85 billion yuan.

The rapid growth of foreign trade imports and exports is also due to Xinjiang's continuous promotion of smooth ports and the restoration of traditional competitive advantages in foreign trade. Ports are the lifeline of Xinjiang's foreign trade development. Since the beginning of the year, various departments in Xinjiang have made clear schedules and road maps, steadily promoting the restoration of direct passenger and freight transportation at 11 highway ports, laying a solid foundation for the rapid growth of imports and exports.

Border trade is the traditional advantage of Xinjiang's foreign trade, which has accounted for more than half of Xinjiang's foreign trade since 1993. The resumption of direct passenger and freight connections at ports has also brought new opportunities for the development of Border trade. According to customs data, from January to March, Xinjiang's border small trade amounted to 41.39 billion yuan, accounting for 51% of the national border small trade. Baktun, Khorgos and Alashankou three inter city districts have been restored to the market. Tacheng City has regularly carried out the landing processing of border trade import goods, and the import of mutual trade accounts for 50% of the import of Baktun port.

The rapid growth of foreign trade imports and exports is also due to the vigorous development of new formats such as cross-border e-commerce, and the accelerated release of new momentum. At present, Xinjiang has formed a new business pattern consisting of 4 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, 28 overseas warehouses, 2 municipal procurement pilot areas, and 2 second-hand car export business areas. While leveraging traditional competitive advantages such as ports and border trade, it is accelerating the cultivation of new driving forces and advantages for foreign trade innovation and development.

According to customs data, in the first quarter of this year, Xinjiang's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports amounted to 3.35 billion yuan, an increase of 2.4 times, accounting for 11.1% of the import and export growth. In January, Xinjiang opened its first cross-border e-commerce full cargo charter flight dedicated line; In February, the cross-border e-commerce regional headquarters center of Xinjiang Longgong Factory was completed and put into operation in Changji; According to customs data, in March, the "1210" bonded stocking model for cross-border e-commerce was implemented in Alashankou. The import and export of cross-border e-commerce in the four comprehensive pilot zones of Urumqi, Kashgar, Alashankou, and Ili Prefecture increased by 2.9 times, 1 time, 0.5 times, and 15.5 times respectively. Cross border e-commerce imports and exports have grown nearly tenfold in two years, becoming a new driving force for Xinjiang's foreign trade development and a new channel for transformation and upgrading.

In addition to the astonishing growth rate, Xinjiang's foreign trade imports and exports have also undergone gratifying changes. From the perspective of foreign trade layout, among the 14 prefectures and cities, many areas in northern Xinjiang have the highest scale, while the foreign trade in southern Xinjiang continues to develop, and the gap in foreign trade scale between southern and northern Xinjiang is gradually narrowing; From the perspective of business entities, private enterprises account for over 90% of imports and exports, showing steady progress; From the perspective of product composition, the export of labor-intensive products and electromechanical products continues to show a strong growth trend. The export performance of "new three types" products such as electric passenger cars, lithium batteries, and solar cells is outstanding, and the export product structure continues to be optimized.

He Guoqing said that in the next step, the Department of Commerce will continue to release multiple rounds of policy dividends from the country and Xinjiang, make good use of various open platform, ensure the export of competitive products, continue to expand imports, make greater efforts to promote the stability of the scale and structure of foreign trade, strive to achieve "half year red" and "full year red" in foreign trade, and help Xinjiang's high-quality economic development.