The 22nd China-ASEAN Expo will be held from September 17 to 21 in Nanning, Guangxi. It was reported that ASEAN has become the market contributing the most to Zhejiang’s stable foreign trade growth. According to Hangzhou Customs statistics, in the first eight months of this year, Zhejiang’s imports and exports with ASEAN reached 559.96 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.1%, higher than the province’s overall import and export growth rate, and contributing 40.4% to Zhejiang’s foreign trade growth, ranking first among all markets. Among these, Zhejiang’s exports to ASEAN were 390.04 billion yuan, up 16.7% year-on-year; imports were 169.92 billion yuan, up 14.9% year-on-year, with both export and import growth contributions ranking first among all markets.
In recent years, the proportion of Zhejiang’s imports and exports with ASEAN in the province’s total foreign trade value has continued to rise, increasing from 13.1% in 2020 to 15.2% in the first eight months of this year, making ASEAN Zhejiang’s second-largest trade market.
Zhejiang enterprises are stepping up efforts to explore the ASEAN market. “We are focusing on the new track of intelligent material handling, developing simplified automated guided vehicles that integrate electric handling vehicles, electric steering, and artificial intelligence to make handling more efficient, simpler, and greener. Our new products have seen considerable sales in the ASEAN market,” said Sha Jianyu, Production Manager of Zhejiang Maximal Materials Handling Co., Ltd. From January to July this year, the company’s exports to ASEAN reached 190 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.1%.
Cross-border e-commerce exports grew rapidly, ranking first. In the first eight months, Zhejiang enterprises exported 45.61 billion yuan to ASEAN via cross-border e-commerce platforms, a year-on-year increase of 62.2%, accounting for over a quarter of Zhejiang’s cross-border e-commerce exports, making ASEAN the largest market for Zhejiang’s cross-border e-commerce exports.
As a global hub for small commodity trade and a gathering place for cross-border e-commerce, Yiwu offers multiple logistics modes for cross-border goods, including sea-rail intermodal transport, air freight, China-Europe freight trains, and TIR. Recently, Yiwu Customs launched a land-air intermodal mode from Yiwu to Wuhu, allowing goods to be transferred to Wuhu Xuancheng Airport in Anhui and flown directly to the Philippines on the same day, adding a new channel for Yiwu’s cross-border e-commerce exports to ASEAN.
Exports of solar cells and automobiles also grew rapidly. In the first eight months of this year, Zhejiang’s exports of mechanical and electrical products to ASEAN increased by 20.3% year-on-year, accounting for 42.8% of the province’s total exports to ASEAN. Among these, auto parts, solar cells, and automobiles exports reached 5.81 billion yuan, 3.15 billion yuan, and 2.00 billion yuan, up 27.2%, 38.7%, and 107.9% year-on-year, respectively.
Additionally, ASEAN is Zhejiang’s largest import market. The proportion of Zhejiang’s imports from ASEAN increased from 17.8% in 2020 to 19.1% in the first eight months of this year. Among these, consumer goods imports were 24.86 billion yuan, up 36.6% year-on-year; imports of dried and fresh fruits and nuts were 8.02 billion yuan, up 50.8% year-on-year.
