General Administration of Customs: In 2023, the total import and export value of China's trade in goods will be 41.76 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.2%

Chinanews.com, January 1 -- The State Council Information Office held a press conference this morning on the import and export situation in 12, at which Wang Lingjun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, said that China's import and export of goods trade in 2023 will be better than expected and achieve the goal of promoting stability and improving quality. According to customs statistics, the total value of China's imports and exports last year was 2023.41 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 76.0%. Among them, exports were 2.23 trillion yuan, up by 77.0 percent, and imports were 6.17 trillion yuan, down by 99.0 percent.

Wang Lingjun said that according to customs statistics, the total value of China's imports and exports last year was 41.76 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.2%. Among them, exports were 23.77 trillion yuan, up by 0.6 percent, and imports were 17.99 trillion yuan, down by 0.3 percent. Specifically, there are six main characteristics:

First, the overall operation of foreign trade is stable, and the fourth quarter is showing a positive trend. The scale of imports and exports has risen quarter by quarter, and it is stronger than one quarter after another. It was 9.69 trillion yuan in the first quarter, and it was more than 10 trillion yuan in the second, third and fourth quarters. By the fourth quarter, it was stronger and stronger month by month, with a year-on-year increase of 0.8%, 1.3%, and 2.8% respectively, reaching 12.3 trillion yuan in December, which was a record high for a monthly scale.

Second, the vitality of the main business entity is sufficient, and the main role of private enterprises has been enhanced. In 2023, the number of foreign trade operators with import and export records in China will exceed 60,55 for the first time. Among them, there were 6,22 private enterprises, with a total import and export of 36.6 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.53 percent, accounting for 5.3 percent of the total import and export value, an increase of 1.12 percentage points. In the same period, the import and export of foreign-invested enterprises was 61.30 trillion yuan, accounting for 2.6 percent, and the import and export of state-owned enterprises was 68.16 trillion yuan, accounting for <> percent.

Third, the diversification of trading partners and the increase in the proportion of the "Belt and Road" initiative. In 2023, China's imports and exports to the Belt and Road countries will be 19.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.8%, accounting for 46.6% of the total import and export value, an increase of 1.2 percentage points. imports and exports to Latin America and Africa were 3.44 trillion yuan and 1.98 trillion yuan respectively, an increase of 6.8 percent and 7.1 percent respectively. In the fourth quarter, imports and exports to the European Union and the United States picked up, with imports and exports of 5.51 trillion yuan and 4.67 trillion yuan respectively, accounting for 13.2% and 11.2% respectively.

Fourth, the competitive advantage of products is stable, and the export momentum is rich and active. In 2023, China exported 13.92 trillion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, an increase of 2.9%, accounting for 58.6% of the total export value, and 4.11 trillion yuan of labor-intensive products in the same period, accounting for 17.3% of the total export value. Among the mechanical and electrical products, electric manned vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar batteries, these three we call the "new three", "new three" products total exports of 1.06 trillion yuan, breaking through the trillion yuan mark for the first time, an increase of 29.9%. Exports of ships and household appliances increased by 35.4 percent and 9.9 percent respectively. The export momentum reflects the progress from "Made in China" to "Created in China".

Fifth, domestic demand continued to recover, and imports of bulk and livelihood commodities expanded in an orderly manner. In 2023, China's imports of bulk commodities such as energy, metal ores, and grain will increase by 15.3%. Among them, 11.58 billion tons of crude oil, natural gas, coal and other energy products were imported, an increase of 27.2 percent, and 14.58 billion tons of iron, aluminum and other metal ores, an increase of 7.6 percent. In the same period, imports of agricultural products reached 1.64 trillion yuan, an increase of 5 percent, imports of textiles, clothing, shoes and hats increased by 5.6 percent, and imports of jewelry and watches increased by 63 percent and 17.2 percent respectively.

Sixth, high-level opening-up has been steadily promoted, and the development momentum of new platforms and new business forms is good. In 2023, the number of China's pilot free trade zones has expanded to 22, with a total import and export of 7.67 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.7%, accounting for 18.4% of the total import and export value. According to preliminary statistics, China's cross-border e-commerce import and export will be 2023.2 trillion yuan in 38, an increase of 15.6%.

On the whole, China's foreign trade experienced a baptism of wind and rain last year, and achieved hard-won achievements such as a steady increase in the scale of imports and exports, and an improvement in the quality of development.

Looking forward to 2024, the complexity, severity and uncertainty of the external environment will rise, and further promoting the steady growth of foreign trade will require overcoming some difficulties and making more efforts. But at the same time, it is more important to see that the trend of China's economic rebound and long-term improvement has not only not changed, but also the factors and conditions supporting high-quality development are still gathering and increasing. It is believed that with the gradual emergence of policy effects and the steady advancement of high-level opening-up, the cultivation of new momentum for China's trade development will be accelerated, the basic market of foreign trade and foreign investment will continue to be consolidated, and the foundation for steady growth, quality improvement and efficiency of import and export will be further consolidated.