Since the beginning of this year, major foreign trade provinces in China have achieved remarkable results in diversifying their trade markets. Coastal foreign trade provinces such as Zhejiang and Guangdong, as well as key western foreign trade provinces such as Sichuan, have been deeply cultivating emerging markets in ASEAN, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, promoting “Made in China” products to a wider global market, and continuously strengthening the resilience of foreign trade development.
Taizhou: High-end sewing machinery becomes a “hot-selling item” in foreign trade. According to the latest statistics from Hangzhou Customs, in the first 11 months of this year, Zhejiang’s total import and export value exceeded 5 trillion yuan, reaching 5.06 trillion yuan, a record high for the same period. The export of sewing machinery and its parts is an important foreign trade industry in Taizhou, Zhejiang. In a production workshop in Taizhou, sewing machines are being assembled at full speed, and orders for this product have already been booked until June next year.
The head of a sewing machinery company in Taizhou City stated, “This should be our fourth blockbuster product in the flat-pack series, but it’s actually our first blockbuster product in the high-end segment. Exports are estimated to account for 80% of our sales, and we are accelerating production in this area.” This company’s export business has seen strong growth this year, with two products experiencing sales increases exceeding 70%. Currently, their products are exported to over 100 countries and regions. From January to November this year, the export value of sewing machinery and parts from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, exceeded 5 billion yuan, an increase of 8.7% compared to the same period last year. The export growth is mainly concentrated in countries such as India, Brazil, Vietnam, and Egypt. Meanwhile, in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, known as the “Hardware Capital,” exports to Africa are experiencing rapid growth. A power tool export company is continuously improving its brand awareness in emerging markets such as Africa and the Middle East by holding exhibitions overseas. In the first 11 months of this year, the company’s exports to Africa increased by 20%. A foreign trade manager at an electrical appliance company in Yongkang City stated, “We will further develop markets that are relatively untapped. For countries and regions where we have agents, we will actively cooperate and support our clients in expanding their businesses.” With the accelerated urbanization and industrialization in Africa, the market demand for power tools such as drills and wrenches has surged. Yongkang’s foreign trade companies have keenly seized this opportunity and intensified their efforts to expand into the African market. Customs data shows that currently, more than 600 companies in Yongkang City are engaged in trade with Africa. In the first 11 months of this year, local exports of hand and machine tools to Africa increased by 24.2% year-on-year. Staff at the Jinhua Customs Office in Yongkang stated that they have proactively compiled a list of pre-clearance procedures for companies, helping them reduce preparation time by nearly 30%. Simultaneously, they regularly send personnel to conduct technical exchange activities with foreign trade companies, primarily to interpret the technical regulations and certification requirements of importing countries, helping companies overcome key difficulties such as understanding standards and differences in testing items.
Guangdong’s import and export growth in emerging markets was impressive in the first 11 months. According to statistics from the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, Guangdong’s efforts to expand into emerging markets have yielded significant results in the first 11 months of this year. In the first 11 months of this year, ASEAN, Hong Kong, and the EU ranked as Guangdong’s top three trading partners, with import and export volumes all exceeding one trillion yuan. During the same period, Guangdong’s total import and export value with emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa, and the five Central Asian countries increased by 7.8%, 10.4%, and 26% respectively, all faster than Guangdong’s overall foreign trade growth rate of 4.2%.
Chinese-style watches are popular, demonstrating Dongguan’s strength in foreign trade innovation. In the first 11 months, electromechanical products accounted for nearly 70% of Guangdong’s total exports.
In a watch manufacturing workshop in Dongguan, Guangdong, a dazzling array of watch products is on display, ranging from classic mechanical wristwatches to smart fashion accessories, from customized series targeting the high-end market to trendy styles catering to the general public. The general manager of a Dongguan watch company stated, “We utilized our Chinese element, ‘Ancient Shu,’ to design a bracelet watch called ‘Oriental Ancient Shu,’ which features personalized elements and also carries the meaning of ‘luck,’ symbolizing holding onto good fortune and happiness. This product has been well-received by consumers both domestically and internationally since its launch.” Through technological innovation and the establishment of an industrial design research institute, this company has spent several years developing new materials that combine the smoothness and hardness of precious metals at a more cost-effective level, successfully entering the jewelry market. The company representative explained that their high-end brand products are already exported to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. Dongguan’s diverse foreign trade is booming in emerging markets. In the first 11 months of this year, Dongguan City engaged in import and export trade with more than 200 countries and regions worldwide. Among them, imports and exports to ASEAN countries increased by more than 30%. The deputy director of the Statistics and Analysis Department of Huangpu Customs stated, “In the first 11 months, Dongguan’s trade with 54 countries and regions, including Singapore, Argentina, and Ethiopia, increased by more than 50%. During the same period, exports to the Middle East increased by 35%, 24.5 percentage points higher than the national average.” Furthermore, Dongguan’s exports of lithium batteries to Latin America, electronic components to Africa, and home appliances to Central Asia all achieved double-digit growth. Sichuan’s exports exceeded 550 billion yuan in the first 11 months. According to Chengdu Customs statistics, Sichuan’s exports exceeded 550 billion yuan in the first 11 months of this year. Among them, the freight volume of the Chengdu-Central Asia freight train under customs supervision exceeded 150,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 times. As one of the earliest cities in China to launch the China-Europe freight train service, Chengdu has cumulatively launched more than 36,000 international freight trains, building a logistics network covering Eurasia through this channel. Cross-border cold chain trains help Sichuan apples open up new markets. Recently, 50 tons of Xiaojin apples from Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, were transported by a cold chain train from Chengdu Railway Port to Kazakhstan. This marks the first time Sichuan apples have entered markets in Central Asia and Europe. The China-Europe Railway Express integrated platform has become a key support for this cross-border transport route spanning thousands of kilometers from the plateau to overseas markets. By integrating resources such as international intermodal transport, warehousing and logistics, and supply chain finance, it has completely opened up the “main artery” for the export of plateau agricultural products to Central Asia and Europe. At the same time, the cold chain transportation guarantee provided by the China-Europe Railway Express has solved the problem of agricultural products from remote production areas being unable to “get out” or “transport far.” The deputy director of the Xiaojin County Science and Technology and Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Water Resources Bureau stated, “Previously, our apples were mainly sold to the domestic market, and the international market was always a blank. Cold chain and overseas warehousing were all problems. This time, thanks to the China-Europe Railway Express platform, all of these problems have been solved at once.” This export of 50 tons of apples to Europe and Central Asia will boost the county’s apple income, with the average household income increasing by more than 20% compared to traditional domestic sales. On the same day, the China-Europe Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing) Cold Chain Distribution Center was established, linking the cold chain logistics of the two regions. This will provide a more efficient dedicated channel for the import and export of high-value-added fresh and pharmaceutical products in Southwest China, and is expected to drive an annual increase of over 5 billion yuan in cold chain trade. This breakthrough in cold chain logistics further enhances the value of the channel. The Deputy Director of the Statistics and Analysis Department of Chengdu Customs stated, “In the first 11 months of this year, Sichuan’s exports to the Central Asian market exceeded 6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of nearly 30%. Among them, exports to Kazakhstan increased by 1.2 times year-on-year. Automobiles, photovoltaic products, lithium batteries, and televisions accounted for a large proportion of exports to the five Central Asian countries.”
