General

Customs data shows that China has become the world's second largest import market for 14 consecutive years! Customs data shows that recently, a batch of 990 kilograms of Ecuadorian yellow dragon fruit was successfully cleared under the supervision of the Capital Airport Customs. This is the first time that Ecuadorian yellow dragon fruit has been imported at Beijing port since the General Administration of Customs approved its import last year.

More imported fruits are serving on Chinese dining tables, which is a microcosm of China's continuous expansion of imports. At the recent State Council policy briefing on promoting stable, scale optimized and structured foreign trade, Wang Shouwen, the representative and deputy minister of international trade negotiations at the Ministry of Commerce, introduced that China has become the world's second largest import market for 14 consecutive years and will continue to take a series of measures to expand imports.

China's consumer market has a large capacity, multiple levels, and ample potential. Data shows that currently, China is a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions. According to customs data, China has become the main export market for over 50 countries and regions. According to customs data, in 2022, China's total imports reached 2.7 trillion US dollars, accounting for nearly 11% of the world's total imports.

Expanding imports not only contributes to China's economy, but also makes significant contributions to the development of the world economy and the economies of exporting countries. This year, we implemented temporary import tariffs on 1020 goods, which are lower than the tariffs we promised to the World Trade Organization. "Wang Shouwen said that currently, China's average import tariff level is around 7%, while the average import tariff level of developing countries according to the World Trade Organization is around 10%. China's import tariffs are lower than many developing countries, indicating China's willingness to expand import market access. China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions, which means that most imported products have zero tariffs, which is also conducive to expanding imports.

At the same time, China fully leverages the role of exhibition platforms such as CIIE, Consumer Expo, and Canton Fair to provide opportunities for foreign products to directly meet Chinese consumers. On April 15th, the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Administration of Taxation issued a notice on tax preferential policies for imported exhibits sold during the 2023 China Import and Export Commodity Fair exhibition period, clarifying that imported exhibits sold within the tax-free limit during the exhibition period are exempt from import tariffs, import value-added tax, and consumption tax. As of now, 13 exhibitions have enjoyed this policy.

In addition, China will comprehensively improve the level of import facilitation, promote the expansion of the "single window" service function, promote the deepening and implementation of trade facilitation, further improve the efficiency of imported goods circulation, reduce the burden on enterprises, and make China's industrial chain supply chain more reliable and efficient. China also plays a positive role in cross-border e-commerce retail imports, ensuring the stability of bulk product imports, and increasing the import of energy and resource products, agricultural products, consumer goods, etc. that are needed domestically.