In 2024, my country’s foreign trade sector showed a positive trend of steady improvement. The “combination punches” of foreign trade policies are taking effect, with over 80% of foreign trade enterprises predicting that exports will improve or remain flat in the first half of the year. Since the beginning of this year, my country’s goods trade has continued the upward trend since the fourth quarter of last year, the foreign trade structure has been continuously optimized, the international market share has steadily increased, policies to stabilize foreign trade have continued to exert their effects, and enterprise confidence and vitality have been strengthened. The latest commercial certification data released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in April provides an important perspective for observing my country’s foreign trade situation. In April, the CCPIT system issued a total of 587,300 certificates of various types, an increase of 12.10% year-on-year. Of these, the value of non-preferential certificates of origin issued was US$31.999 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 0.22%; the number of certificates issued was 350,900, a year-on-year increase of 6.86%. The value of preferential certificates of origin issued was US$6.014 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.57%; the number of certificates issued was 182,300, a year-on-year increase of 27.67%. The value of RCEP certificates of origin issued was US$679 million, a year-on-year increase of 2.58%; the number of certificates issued was 24,023, a year-on-year increase of 21.93%, and it is estimated that this will reduce tariffs on Chinese products imported from RCEP member countries by US$10 million. Of particular note is that in April, the national trade promotion system issued 979 outbound ATA Carnets, a year-on-year increase of 38.28%; the value of goods covered by these ATA Carnets was approximately RMB 363 million, a year-on-year increase of 153.85%; and 625 companies applied for the certificates, a year-on-year increase of 45.35%. The national trade promotion system also translated, entered, and registered 541 inbound ATA Carnets issued by foreign chambers of commerce, a year-on-year increase of 33.25%. Zhao Ping, spokesperson for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), stated that the significant increase in the number of ATA Carnets issued reflects the effective implementation of my country’s foreign trade policy package, the significantly enhanced activity of foreign trade enterprises, and the continued high level of motivation and enthusiasm for expanding into international markets. The recent survey results from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) also support the conclusion that foreign trade is steadily improving. 81.6% of foreign trade enterprises predict that exports will improve or remain flat in the first half of the year, and 65.1% of the surveyed enterprises expect new orders to increase or remain flat compared to the previous quarter. Several factors have contributed to this. First, improved external demand has accelerated exports, with the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund predicting an improved global economic growth outlook for 2024. Second, advantageous products have supported foreign trade growth, with exports of electromechanical products such as integrated circuits, automobiles, and ships maintaining strong growth, and exports of labor-intensive products such as clothing and textiles also showing a significant rebound. Third, new productive forces have boosted the development of foreign trade enterprises, with nearly 30% of the surveyed enterprises feeling that the development of new productive forces has added new momentum to exports. However, the survey also revealed that many surveyed companies reported facing significant challenges in foreign trade in 2024. The international trade environment remains complex and severe, increasing cost pressures on enterprises. Securing orders, securing new orders, and expanding markets are the most pressing tasks for these companies. To help enterprises expand markets and obtain orders, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) is taking active measures. Zhao Ping stated that the CCPIT will continue to strengthen trade promotion work, increase efforts to expand overseas markets, promote the “Thousands of Groups Going Global” initiative, organize foreign trade enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions and business negotiations, and simultaneously hold the second Blockchain Expo with high quality. Furthermore, since early May, the CCPIT has launched an ATA Carnet business improvement campaign across the national CCPIT system, expanding the coverage of credit assessment services to reduce costs for enterprises, providing full-process tracking and guarantee services, and helping enterprises enjoy tangible benefits. The CCPIT will also strengthen commercial legal services, increase early warning and response to trade frictions, help enterprises prevent risks, resolve disputes, and safeguard their rights, so as to better leverage the supporting role of foreign trade in the economy.
my country’s foreign trade maintained steady growth in 2024, with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) assisting enterprises in expanding into overseas markets.
Since the beginning of the year, the momentum of steady and positive growth in my country's foreign trade has further consolidated, with various data indicating that the "policy mix" for foreign trade is yielding results. At the same time, enterprises are facing certain challenges; the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) is taking proactive measures to help them expand into overseas markets.
