China News Service, May 10, according to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, from January to April, my country’s foreign trade development continued its growth momentum. 11.62 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.5%, and the scale hit a record high in the same period in history.

The main features are as follows:

　　First, the growth rate of import, export and export hit the highest level in the same period in 10 years.

From January to April, the country's imports and exports, exports, and imports increased by 28.5%, 33.8%, and 22.7% year-on-year (the same below), respectively. The growth rates of imports and exports and exports were the highest since 2011.

Compared with the same period in 2019, imports and exports, exports and imports increased by 21.8%, 24.8% and 18.4% respectively.

In April, imports and exports were 3.15 trillion yuan, the second highest value in monthly history.

　　The second is to intensively cultivate traditional markets and open up new markets to achieve positive results.

From January to April, exports to traditional markets such as the European Union, the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong increased by 36.1%, 49.3%, 12.6%, and 30.9% respectively, pushing up the overall export growth rate by 16.8 percentage points.

Exports to emerging markets such as ASEAN, Latin America, and Africa increased by 29%, 47.1%, and 27.6%, respectively, pushing up the overall export growth rate by 8.6 percentage points.

　　Third, the main body of foreign trade continues to grow, and private enterprises continue to play their role as the main force.

From January to April, 61655 new foreign trade operators were registered.

The export of private enterprises was 3.53 trillion yuan, an increase of 45%, which pushed up the overall export growth rate by 23.2 percentage points, which accounted for an increase of 4.4 percentage points from the same period last year to 55.9%.

　　Fourth, the "home economy" products continued to drive export growth, and the export of some labor-intensive products resumed growth.

From January to April, exports of "home economy" products such as computers, mobile phones, household appliances, lamps and toys increased by 32.2%, 35.6%, 50.3%, 66.8% and 59%, respectively, driving up the overall export growth rate by 6.9 percentage points.

Vaccination in developed economies has progressed rapidly, people's travel demand has increased, and exports of clothing, footwear, and luggage have resumed growth, with growth rates of 41%, 25.8%, and 19.2%, respectively.

　　Fifth, new business formats and new models are developing vigorously, and endogenous motivation is further enhanced.

Cross-border e-commerce maintained rapid growth, with an import and export value of 419.5 billion yuan from January to March, an increase of 46.5%.

The bonded maintenance of processing trade has been steadily advanced, playing an important role in stimulating high-quality employment and guiding industrial agglomeration.

In April, the 129th Canton Fair was successfully held online. 26,000 companies participated in the exhibition, and buyers from 227 countries and regions registered for the exhibition, bringing new business opportunities to global exhibitors under the epidemic.

　　Sixth, the steady and positive domestic economy has driven import growth, and the rapid rise in the prices of some bulk commodities has pushed up import growth.

Since the beginning of this year, the manufacturing PMI has remained in the expansion range, stimulating import demand for energy resources, raw materials and spare parts. From January to April, the import volume of crude oil, iron ore, and integrated circuits increased by 7.2%, 6.7%, and 30.8%, respectively.

The prices of some bulk commodities rose rapidly. The average import prices of soybeans, iron ore and copper ore increased by 15.5%, 58.8% and 32.9% respectively, and the price factor combined to increase the overall import growth rate by 4.2 percentage points.