速递！Upgrading trade to deepen global recovery

ExportersridepolicysupportandFTAs,innovate,turnnimbleandresilientforgrowth

China"sforeigntradeisresilientinachallenging,uncertainenvironmentastheplayersconcernedcontinuetoinnovateandbenimbleforsteadygrowth,ridingpolicysupportfornewgrowthpoints,observerssaid.

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Forinstance,inNovemberlastyear,DingYandong,presidentofRollmaxShutterComponentCoLtd,aNingbo,Zhejiangprovince-basedrollershuttercomponentmanufacturer,rodeintobadluckuponarrivalatHeathrowAirport,London.

Hishecticseven-daybusinesstripwastotakehimtoasmanyassixcitiesinEnglandandWales.Thegoalwastoretainoldcustomersandseekneworders.But,alocalrailwaystrikethrewaspannerintohisschedule,forcinghimtohireanexpensivetaxi—some300pounds($375.7)forthe220-kilometerLondon-Norwichstretch—tokeephisappointmentwithhisfirstclient,alocalmanufacturerofsmarthomeproducts.

Everypoundwasworthitandthensome,Dingsaid,asthemeetingwentonforaroundfivehours,duringwhichproductsamplesandtheirfunctionswerethoroughlyunderstood.TheBritishclientwasalsoabletodispelhisownlingeringconcernsaboutRollmax"sproducts.Anexpressionofintentwassignedonthespotthatlaterledtoanewbusinessorder.

"OurEuropeanclientsareverystraightforwardandtendtoexpressdoubtsinitiallyaboutthequalityofChineseproducts.Buttheirexactingstandardsandexpectationsactuallyhelpustoincreasetheaddedvalueofourproducts,"saidDing,notingmanymisunderstandingscanbeeasilyresolvedthroughface-to-facecommunication.

WithChinaintroducingfreshpolicymeasurestostimulateexportsandsupportdomesticcompanies"industrialupgrade,aswellasmakebetteruseofbilateralandfreetradeagreementstosustainitseconomicgrowththisyear,Dingnolongerhasadireneedtotravelabroad.HistripsdroppedinthefirsthalfofthisyearasmoreforeignbuyersvisitedhisfactoryinNingbooverthepastfourmonths.

Likeheadsofmanydomesticcompanies,hehasbeenbusybookingboothsatandparticipatinginlargetradeshowssuchastheChinaImportandExportFair(CantonFair),theAppliance&ElectronicsWorldExpoandtheChinaInternationalIndustryFairtolandmoreorders.Hehasalsobeenspendingalotoftimetodevelopcost-effectiveproductsforclientsinSoutheastAsia,LatinAmericaandtheMiddleEast.

ThankstoChina"soptimizedCOVID-19managementpolicy,theoperationofnewshippingroutesandfast-growingbusinesssectorslikenewenergyvehiclesandsolarbatteries,thecountryisexpectedtofurthervitalizecompaniesintheforeigntradesectorwhileforgingstrongertradecooperationwithdevelopedaswellasemergingeconomies,marketwatchersandgovernmentofficialssaid.

TheysaidsuchendeavorswillexpandandupgradeChina"stradeandalsowillbeconducivetoglobaleconomicrecovery,amidnegativefactorslikeprotectionismandgeo-economicfragmentation.

Supportedbyresurgentoverseasdemand,closerbusinesstieswithemergingmarketsandvariouseffortsforindustrialupgrade,China"sforeigntradegrewby5.8percentyear-on-yearto13.32trillionyuan($1.92trillion)inthefirstfourmonthsof2023;exportsrose10.6percentonayearlybasisto7.67trillionyuan,andimportsedgedup0.02percentyear-on-yearto5.65trillionyuan,datafromtheGeneralAdministrationofCustomsshowed.

Withmanyforeignretailersrunningoutofstocksincelatelastyear,alargenumberofglobalbusinesspeoplehavestartedtoorderfromChineseexporters,saidBaiMing,deputydirectorofinternationalmarketresearchattheBeijing-basedChineseAcademyofInternationalTradeandEconomicCooperation.

Withinconvenienttravelconditionsofthelastthreeyearsnowathingofthepast,manyofthemarewillingtovisitChinatoparticipateindifferenttradefairsandvisitfactories,furthereasingconcernsaboutthecountry"s2023exportoutlook,Baisaid,addingmanyChineseexportershavealsosetuplivestreamingstudioswithintheirfactories,directlypromotingawidevarietyofproductsrangingfromshoestoexcavatorstooverseasbuyers.

Ratherthanwaitingforforeigntradeorderstoflowin,HuizhouMaccElectronicsCoLtd,anelectroniccomponentmanufacturerinGuangdongprovince,dispatchedasalesteamtovisitoverseasclientsintheMiddleEast,Europe,theUnitedStatesandtheRepublicofKoreainthefirstquarterofthisyear.

"Weareconfidentandhighlymotivatedafteradecentstartinthefirstquarter.Wewillstrivetoincreaseourproductionvalueby10percentthisyear,"saidZhangQian,thecompany"sgeneralmanager.

Acknowledgingthatthemarketenvironmenthasturnedouttobemoredifficultthanexpected,hesaidseveralofthecompanies"previousclientsfromIndia,VietnamandTurkiyehavealreadytransformedandgrown.Theyhaveemergedasthecompany"sstrongrivalsinthesamemarketsegment.SalesstaffmembersfromthenewrivalsevenpretendedtobepotentialcustomersandaskedZhangandhisengineershighlytechnicalquestionsatthecompany"sboothduringdifferentexhibitionsabroad.

"Ofcourse,wedidn"trespondtosuchquestions,buttheseemergingeconomies,supportedbyanincreasinglysophisticatedindustrialsystem,combinedwithcloserproximitytoEuropeandtheabilitytoexportduty-freeproductstomanycountriesacrosstheworld,havegraduallyturnedouttobecompetitorsofChineseexportersintheareasofmediumandlow-endmanufacturing,hesaid.

DealingwithchallengesposedbycertainWesterncountriesouttocontainChina"sindustrialchains,thecountry"smanufacturingsectorhasbecomemoreawareofthesubsequentchallengesposedbysuchactions,saidLinMeng,directoroftheModernSupplyChainResearchInstitute,whichispartoftheBeijing-basedChineseAcademyofInternationalTradeandEconomicCooperation.

Asaresult,China"sdriveforindustrialupgradehasgainedfurtherimpetus,augmentingthecountry"scapabilitiesacrossvariousdomainsliketheindustrialchainsrelatedtonewenergyandgreendevelopment,shesaid.

SAICMotorCorpLtd,China"slargestcarmakerbysales,hasbeenheadinginthatdirection.ThecompanysaiddeliveriesofitshatchbackMG4Electricreached10,000unitsinEuropeinMarch.

Therearenowaround40,000ordersinEuropetobedelivered,saidZhaoAimin,executivevice-presidentofSAICInternational,notingonekeyingredientofthegroup"ssuccessinoverseasmarketsisitsofferoftherightproductsbasedonanunderstandingoflocalcustomers"demands.

Tobettermeetthedemandofoverseascarbuyersandpotentialcustomers,Zhaosaidhehasafour-hourmeetingwiththecompany"sresearchanddevelopmentteameachweek.

KeentofacilitatemoreChinesecompaniestoshiptheirproductstootherpartsoftheworld,China,amemberoftheRegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnershipagreement,isalsoseekingtojoinhigh-standardeconomicandtradeagreementssuchastheComprehensiveandProgressiveAgreementforTrans-PacificPartnershipandtheDigitalEconomyPartnershipAgreement,saidZhangJianping,headofthecenterforregionaleconomiccooperationattheChineseAcademyofInternationalTradeandEconomicCooperation.

WiththeRCEPsettotakeeffectinthePhilippines—thelastmembereconomytoratifyoftheagreement—onJune2,theagreement"scompleteimplementationwillhelpfurtherbolstertradeandinvestmentbetweenChinaandotherparticipatingcountries,andwilladvancelong-termprosperityandgrowthoftheglobaleconomy,Zhangsaid.

AccordingtoCustomsdata,China"stradevaluewithotherRCEPsignatorycountriesrose7.3percentyear-on-yearinthefirstquarterofthisyear.

Chineseauthoritieshadissued201,700certificatesoforiginundertheRCEPagreementbyMarch.Thecertificatesarerelatedtoexportsvaluedat$8.41billion,andareexpectedtoreducetariffsby$126millionforChineseproductsinimportingRCEPcountries,datafromBeijing-headquarteredChinaCouncilforthePromotionofInternationalTradeshowed.

Certificatesoforiginaredocumentswidelyusedininternationaltradetransactions.Theystatethattheproductslistedhavemetsufficientcriteriatobeconsideredasoriginatinginaparticularcountry.Theissuanceofthesecertificatesiswidelyregardedasabarometerofforeigntrade.

Chinahad457,000companieswithexportandimportrecordsinthefirstquarterofthisyear,up5.7percentyear-on-year,accordingtoCustomsdata.

WuHaiping,director-generaloftheGeneralAdministrationofCustoms"departmentofgeneraloperations,saidthatinordertoaddressthedifficultiesandbottlenecksfacedbyforeign-tradeenterprises,theCustomsauthoritywillfocusonimprovingtradefacilitation,streamliningimportandexportlogistics,optimizingthebusinessenvironmentatports,reducingenterprises"costburdensandsupportingthedevelopmentofnewforeigntradeformats.

"Wewillcontinuouslyenrich,adjustandimproverelevantmeasuresandexplorenewCustomssupportinitiativestosupportChina"sforeigntradethisyear,"hesaid,addingthat90,000companiesregisteredinthefirstquartertoengageinexportandimportactivities,up59.8percentyear-on-year.

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