Since the beginning of this year, many major foreign trade provinces in my country 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 actively cultivated 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.
In Taizhou, Zhejiang, high-end sewing machinery has become 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, with orders for this product already booked until June of next year. The head of a local sewing machinery company stated that this product is the fourth blockbuster item in their flat-pack series and the first blockbuster in the high-end segment, with exports estimated to account for 80%. The company is accelerating production. This year, the company’s foreign trade business has achieved strong growth, with two products seeing 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 markets experiencing export growth are 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 growing rapidly. A power tool foreign trade 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%. With the accelerated urbanization and industrialization in Africa, the market demand for power tools such as electric drills and wrenches has surged. Yongkang’s foreign trade enterprises have keenly seized this opportunity and intensified their efforts to expand into the African market. Customs data shows that currently, more than 600 enterprises in Yongkang 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. Customs officials have also proactively compiled a list of pre-clearance procedures for enterprises, helping them reduce preparation time by nearly 30%, and regularly conduct technical exchange activities with foreign trade enterprises to interpret the technical regulations and certification requirements of importing countries, helping enterprises overcome key difficulties such as understanding standards and differences in testing items. According to statistics from the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, Guangdong has achieved significant results in expanding into emerging markets in the first 11 months of this year. ASEAN, Hong Kong, and the EU are 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%. In Dongguan, Guangdong, watches featuring Chinese elements are selling well, showcasing the province’s innovative strength in foreign trade. In the first 11 months, electromechanical products accounted for nearly 70% of Guangdong’s total exports. A Dongguan watch company designed a bracelet watch called “Oriental Ancient Shu” using the Chinese element of “Ancient Shu,” combining personalization and auspicious meaning, which was well-received by consumers both domestically and internationally upon its launch. Through technological innovation, the company established an industrial design research institute and spent several years developing new materials that combine the smoothness and hardness of precious metals at a lower cost, successfully entering the jewelry market. Its high-end brand products are now sold to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. In the first 11 months of this year, Dongguan City engaged in import and export trade with more than 200 countries and regions worldwide. Trade with ASEAN grew by over 30%, trade with several countries and regions grew by over 50%, and exports to the Middle East grew by 35%, 24.5 percentage points higher than the national average. Exports of lithium batteries to Latin America, electronic components to Africa, and home appliances to Central Asia all achieved double-digit growth. 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 operated over 36,000 international freight trains, building a logistics network covering Eurasia through this channel. Recently, 50 tons of small golden apples from Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, were transported by a refrigerated train from Chengdu Railway Port to Kazakhstan, marking the first time Sichuan apples have entered markets in Central Asia and Europe. The integrated China-Europe freight train platform has become a key support, solving the problem of exporting highland agricultural products and boosting apple income across the county, with average household income increasing by more than 20% compared to traditional domestic sales. On the same day, the China-Europe freight train (Chengdu-Chongqing) cold chain distribution center was established, providing 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. 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%, with exports to Kazakhstan increasing by 1.2 times year-on-year. Among the products exported to the five Central Asian countries, automobiles, photovoltaic products, lithium batteries, and televisions accounted for a large proportion.
