In the first quarter, the total value of China's import and export of goods trade was 9.42 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.7%——
Cross-border logistics "going against the current" to stabilize foreign trade
Our reporter Wang Junling "People's Daily Overseas Edition" (Page 06, April 19, 2022)
The latest data from the General Administration of Customs shows that in the first quarter of this year, the total import and export value of my country's trade in goods was 9.42 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.7%.
So far, foreign trade imports and exports have maintained positive year-on-year growth for seven consecutive quarters.
At the same time, good news has also come from cross-border logistics nodes such as ports, China-Europe trains, and airports, and the overall cross-border cargo throughput has maintained steady growth.
Logistics is an important link in the smooth circulation of the national economy.
The reporter learned in the interview that although the current external environment for foreign trade is more severe and complex, and the development of cross-border logistics faces many risks and challenges, relevant enterprises stick to their main business, cooperate closely, and make full use of policy support and technological innovation to ensure cross-border logistics. The safe, stable and efficient operation of logistics helps stabilize foreign trade and contributes to safeguarding the industrial chain and supply chain.
Go all out to ensure smooth logistics
In the first quarter, both imports and exports between China and its major trading partners increased.
Among them, the import and export of countries along the “Belt and Road” and regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) trading partners increased by 16.7% and 6.9% respectively.
The hard-won good performance of foreign trade is inseparable from the strong support of logistics——
Strengthen organizational management and improve port operation efficiency.
Recently, in the face of the increasing demand for foreign vehicles in the port, Tianjin Port has taken measures such as setting up epidemic prevention registration checkpoints and operation plan information entry matching points in the unloading area, and coordinating and arranging human, machine and field resources in advance in the unloading area of the hospital. Reasonably configure operating machinery and tools to achieve the purpose of improving the continuity of port loading and unloading operations, and ensure that cargo owners and drivers who come to the port to stock up can quickly unload and return in time.
"In the first quarter of this year, Tianjin Port set new operational efficiency records for 11 times, with a container throughput of 4.627 million TEUs, setting a record for the same period," said the relevant person in charge of Tianjin Port Group.
Scientifically plan routes and expand the radiation coverage of cross-border transport capacity.
On April 13, a China-Europe train loaded with sports equipment, clothing and other goods slowly departed from Xi'an International Port.
According to reports, the train will pass through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and finally reach Mannheim, Germany, with a total distance of 11,300 kilometers.
"In the first quarter of this year, Chang'an has made a total of 790 trips, and the core indicators such as the number of trips, heavy container rate, and freight volume are firmly in the forefront of the country." According to the person in charge of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd., the new line has increased logistics coverage and will Provide support for related enterprises to open up new international trade markets.
Improve supervision efficiency and smooth freight "air corridors".
At present, more than 300 Fortune 500 companies have settled in Chengdu, and the industries are concentrated in the fields of electronic information and modern service industries, and there is a strong demand for efficient international air logistics and transportation.
However, due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, like other airports in the world, many international passenger routes at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport have been suspended, resulting in a sharp decrease in the capacity of international passenger flights to carry cargo in the belly.
In response to the tight international air cargo situation, Chengdu Customs started from the classification of cargo aircraft business, vigorously supported the conversion of passenger aircraft to "all-cargo aircraft" business, and at the same time maintained close contact with airlines and cargo terminals, developed differentiated customs clearance plans, optimized cargo aircraft loading and unloading processes, and fully guaranteed The port passage is smooth.
"From January to February this year, the import and export cargo volume of Chengdu Shuangliu Airport was 27,700 tons, a year-on-year increase of 36.6%." said Tang Jin, deputy head of customs at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport.
Xiamen Port has completed a total cargo throughput of 54.0312 million tons, of which the sea-rail intermodal container transportation volume has reached 12,000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 48.11%; Ningbo Zhoushan Port has completed a cargo throughput of 303 million tons, opening new directions such as Europe and South America. Ocean trunk line, the total number of container routes hit a record high again; Qingdao Port Automation Terminal bridge crane single machine operating efficiency reached 52.7 natural containers/hour, breaking the record of loading and unloading efficiency for the 8th time; Manzhouli railway port entered and exited China-Europe trains 1011, the number of containers increased year-on-year 41.3%, and the value of goods increased by 70.7% year-on-year... In the first quarter of this year, all major cross-border logistics exports overcame various unfavorable factors and achieved outstanding results.
Wan Zhe, a researcher at the "Belt and Road" College of Beijing Normal University, told this reporter that China's economic development is currently facing triple pressures of shrinking demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations. The chain is further under pressure.
In this context, cross-border logistics units such as air, iron, water, and road have maintained strong stability and service capabilities, which are very important for stabilizing foreign trade and even stabilizing the macroeconomic market.
Guarantee supply and stable chain, enterprises directly benefit
Enterprises are important participants in bulk cross-border logistics.
According to Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, in the first quarter of this year, there were 432,000 foreign trade enterprises with actual import and export performance across the country, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%.
With stable cross-border logistics, export enterprises will have confidence.
"The impact of the epidemic on us is twofold. On the one hand, the epidemic has led to a rapid increase in overseas demand for prepackaged snail noodles, and our export order demand in the first quarter of this year increased by 348.69% year-on-year; on the other hand, the epidemic has caused cross-border logistics. Due to the impact, the time for goods to be transported to overseas port warehouses has become longer, and the freight rate has increased, especially the speed of customs clearance at ports in some overseas countries is relatively slow." Ou Haoxuan, general manager of the overseas business department of Guangxi Luobawang Food Co., Ltd., was interviewed by this reporter. Fortunately, the domestic cross-border logistics system service capacity is still very strong, and enterprises can export through ports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and other places.
"We are preparing to build overseas warehouses. After all, only with guaranteed logistics and timely payment, can companies better expand production."
The cross-border logistics is smooth and the supply of imported goods is sufficient.
Zhang Dehui, head of the import logistics department of JD International Logistics, introduced that since the cross-border import e-commerce business started in 2015, JD.com has attracted more than 20,000 brands to settle in, covering maternal and child, fashion, nutrition and health care, personal care and beauty, 3C digital , household, food and many other categories, covering more than 100 countries and regions.
Among them, Jingdong International Logistics operates nearly 1,000 global transportation links, and its cross-border network covers more than 10 cross-border ports, nearly 80 overseas warehouses and bonded warehouses.
"The upgrade of consumers' demand for imported goods has promoted the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce, and the demand for cross-border logistics and supply chain services is also increasing. Affected by factors such as the epidemic, the global cross-border network is also facing considerable challenges. Challenge." Zhang Dehui told this reporter that at present, JD.com is actively cooperating with all parties, using charter flights, trains, sea transportation, multimodal transportation and other transportation methods to provide cross-border merchants with an end-to-end integrated service experience.
The efficiency of cross-border logistics is high, and the industrial chain and supply chain are more solid.
Bloomage Bio is a biotechnology company and biomaterials company, mainly focusing on the development and industrial application of functional sugars, proteins, peptides, amino acids, nucleotides, natural active compounds and other bioactives that are beneficial to life and health. , Japan, Europe and other places have subsidiaries.
"High value-added pharmaceutical-grade raw materials and biological products require efficient and timely cross-border cold chain logistics and transportation." said Zhu Sinan, general manager of Bloomage Bio's Brand and Communication Strategy Center. Judging from the situation at the Beijing port, despite the impact of the epidemic on logistics However, through close cooperation with domestic land carriers and international logistics and freight forwarding companies, the company has still ensured the safe arrival of cargo transportation since this year, and further consolidated its position in the value chain of the industry chain.
Connecting internal and external, enhancing economic resilience
At present, some unexpected factors in the international and domestic environment exceed expectations, and greater efforts are required to achieve the goal of stabilizing foreign trade.
On April 11, the Ministry of Commerce held a special meeting to study together with the Ministry of Transport to ensure the smooth flow of freight and logistics.
The meeting emphasized that it is necessary to take into account the characteristics and demands of foreign trade and foreign-invested enterprises, and to do a good job in ensuring the smooth flow of freight and logistics in a targeted manner.
The Ministry of Transport has issued a special notice to ensure smooth and orderly ports, smooth inland waterways, and smooth international shipping logistics supply chains.
The Ministry of Transport requires to strengthen the monitoring of the operation of the international container shipping market, guide major liner companies to optimize the delivery of shipping capacity, and ensure the shipping capacity of major foreign trade container shipping routes; increase the amount of space available for online booking in the spot market, and serve the booking needs of small and medium-sized export enterprises. .
Among them, liner companies and port companies should strengthen communication and connection with internal and branch line transportation companies, cargo owners, freight forwarders, truck fleets, etc., and actively promote online service processing and the electronic circulation of documents such as port operation documents, bills of lading, and ocean bills of lading. .
Local policy support is increasing.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Zibo Municipal Bureau of Commerce in Shandong Province, overseas warehouses, as a new cross-border logistics model, have become an important platform and carrier for the development of cross-border e-commerce.
By studying the advantages and difficulties of Zibo's foreign trade enterprises in overseas warehouse construction and leasing, the local business department has taken a series of effective measures.
Such as supporting enterprises to build public overseas warehouses overseas, setting up marketing outlets and commodity display centers; supporting enterprises to actively apply for provincial-level cross-border e-commerce entities, and deeply cultivating target market channels; encouraging existing overseas warehouses to strengthen hardware construction and expand service functions.
Technological applications in the field of logistics are becoming more abundant.
Xinsanli Company, a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Lines, integrates advanced technologies such as radar, laser, fluid, and hydraulic pressure to develop an intelligent container cleaning and disinfection robot, which drives automatically throughout the entire process without manual intervention.
It is understood that the device is suitable for cleaning and disinfection of 20-foot and 40-foot containers. It only takes 90 seconds to complete the automatic cleaning of 20-foot containers, which is more than double the efficiency of manual cleaning.
The robot has the function of disinfection inside the container to meet the epidemic prevention needs of the container industry. It is a high-tech product with independent intellectual property rights.
"Many enterprises in my country, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are in the export-oriented industrial chain. Some need to import intermediate products or raw materials, and some need to export finished products. Therefore, cross-border logistics is an important lifeline for enterprises. At this time Relevant government departments have issued policies in a timely manner, and relevant enterprises have actively used digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, which will help to make various infrastructures of cross-border logistics 'connect points into lines, weave lines into networks', from the horizontal Between regions and between the upstream and downstream of the vertical industrial chain, the efficient circulation of commodities and factors will be jointly promoted, thereby further enhancing the resilience of the Chinese economy." Wan Zhe said.
Cross-border logistics "going against the current" will undoubtedly face many challenges.
Wan Zhe suggested that relevant enterprises should be more fully prepared for risks such as extended shipping period, cargo settlement, regional conflicts, exchange rate fluctuations, etc., and timely use long-term agreements and insurance tools to hedge risks and stabilize production and operation expectations.