In the first three quarters of this year, the Yangtze River Delta region has achieved remarkable trade results, with a total import and export value of 11.85 trillion yuan, according to statistics from Shanghai Customs. This figure marks a historic high, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.1%, which accounts for 36.7% of the national total.
When considering trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, the import and export value reached 5.29 trillion yuan, reflecting a 6.9% increase. Meanwhile, trade with other members of the RCEP amounted to 3.6 trillion yuan, up by 4%. Trade with other BRICS nations reached 1.59 trillion yuan, marking a growth of 7.1%. Notably, the import and export of high-tech products stood at 2.94 trillion yuan, showcasing a year-on-year increase of 6.9% and accounting for 34.8% of the national total for similar goods. Furthermore, private enterprises in the region recorded import and export values of 6.38 trillion yuan, which is a 7.9% increase and constitutes 35.9% of the total for private enterprises nationwide.
Turning our attention to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the nine mainland cities within the region have demonstrated significant dynamism. According to customs statistics, the total foreign trade volume in the first three quarters reached 6.49 trillion yuan, which is a 0.3 percentage point increase in its share of Guangdong’s total trade, now standing at 96.1%. Notably, this area contributes 20.1% to the national trade total. With regard to growth rate, the area experienced an increase of 11.4%, outpacing the overall growth rate of Guangdong by 0.3 percentage points and surpassing the national figure by 6.1%, thereby playing a crucial role in the stable growth of foreign trade for both Guangdong and the entire country.
Export-wise, traditional advantage products such as mobile phones, automatic data processing equipment and components, and home appliances continued to see stable growth, with increases of 4.1%, 14.6%, and 14.6%, respectively. In contrast, new growth points like ships, electric vehicles, and containers showcased impressive development, growing by 55.3%, 66.6%, and an astonishing 135.9%.
On the import side, critical production materials such as integrated circuits, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and automatic data processing equipment and components have seen accelerated imports, with growth rates of 17.6%, 73.2%, and 147.9%, respectively. Interestingly, Shenzhen accounted for 52% of the total foreign trade value among the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.
In Northeast China, the total foreign trade value for the first three quarters reached 941.12 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.6%, which is also a historical high for the same period. This includes imports valued at 555.6 billion yuan, growing by 0.7%, and exports totaling 385.52 billion yuan, which have risen by 5.5%.
When considering trade with Belt and Road countries, the import and export value was 560.87 billion yuan, marking a 4.9% increase. Trade with the European Union amounted to 168.41 billion yuan, showing a growth of 6.2%, while trade with ASEAN countries surged by 51.2%, reaching 89.81 billion yuan.
