Deputy Director of the Information Bureau of the Information Office of the State Council, Press Spokesperson Shou Xiaoli:
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the press conference of the Information Office of the State Council, today we are carrying out the routine release of economic data. We are very pleased to invite Mr. Wang Lingjun, Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs, and Mr. Lu Daliang, Spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs and Director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis, to introduce the import and export situation in 2023 and answer your questions of interest.
First of all, I would like to invite Mr. Wang Lingjun to make an introduction.
Wang Lingjun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs:
Ladies and gentlemen, journalists, good morning, and welcome to today's press conference. I would like to inform you about the import and export situation of the mainland in 2023, and then my colleagues and I will answer your questions.
2023 is the first year for the full implementation of the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the year for economic recovery and development after the three-year transition of new crown epidemic prevention and control. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the mainland withstood external pressure, overcame internal difficulties, comprehensively deepened reform and opening up, intensified macroeconomic regulation and control, sustained economic recovery, made solid progress in high-quality development, and achieved the goal of promoting stability and improving quality. According to customs statistics, the total value of imports and exports on the mainland last year was 41.76 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.2 percent. 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 3.81 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 mainland China will exceed 600,000 for the first time. Among them, there were 556,000 private enterprises, with a total import and export of 22.36 trillion yuan, an increase of 6.3 percent, accounting for 53.5 percent of the total import and export value, an increase of 3.1 percentage points. In the same period, the import and export of foreign-invested enterprises was 12.61 trillion yuan, accounting for 30.2 percent, and the import and export of state-owned enterprises was 6.68 trillion yuan, accounting for 16 percent.
Third, the diversification of trading partners and the increase in the proportion of the "Belt and Road" initiative. In 2023, the mainland's imports and exports to the Belt and Road countries will reach 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, the mainland 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 cells, 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, the mainland's imports of bulk commodities such as energy, metal ores, and grain will increase by 15.3%. Among them, 1.158 billion tons of crude oil, natural gas, coal and other energy products were imported, an increase of 27.2 percent, and 1.458 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 pilot free trade zones on the mainland 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, the import and export of cross-border e-commerce in mainland China will be 2.38 trillion yuan in 2023, 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. When I saw these newly released data for the first time, I was full of emotion, pride and pride in the resilience of China's economic development, moved and respected by China's foreign traders, and confident and confident in future 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 should be noted that the trend of the mainland's economic recovery and long-term improvement has not only not changed, but also the factors and conditions supporting high-quality development are still accumulating and increasing. It is believed that with the gradual emergence of policy effects and the steady progress of high-level opening-up, the cultivation of new momentum for the development of mainland trade 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 imports and exports will be further consolidated.
Customs will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, thoroughly implement the important instructions and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of the important reply letter to all customs officers of Khunjerab Customs, and make every effort to optimize the business environment at ports, promote cross-border trade facilitation, accelerate the construction of smart customs, and implement the "smart customs power" in accordance with the deployment of the Central Economic Work Conference action, comprehensively promote the construction of socialist modern customs with Chinese characteristics, and actively contribute to the consolidation and enhancement of the economic recovery and positive trend. Thank you!
Shou Xiaoli:
Thank you, Deputy Director Wang Lingjun, for your introduction. Now let's move on to the Q&A session, and please inform your news organization before asking questions.
Reporter from the News Center of China Central Radio and Television:
In 2023, the mainland's foreign trade will be better than expected, and the whole year will achieve positive growth, what do you think are the main reasons? What are the contributions and roles of foreign trade to the overall economy? In addition, from a global point of view, how do you think China's foreign trade will perform? What is the prediction of the trend of foreign trade in 2024? Thank you.
Wang Lingjun:
Thank you, and that's the question I would like to introduce to you the most.
In 2023, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the mainland economy will overcome challenges and move forward steadily, with production and supply rising steadily, market demand continuing to improve, and economic operation continuing to pick up and improve. In the field of foreign trade, imports and exports have maintained growth as a whole, and it is expected to maintain its position as the largest country in global trade in goods for seven consecutive years and continue to play a supporting role in the economy. Specifically, the supporting factors for the steady growth of foreign trade are as follows:
First, the dividends of the policy of stabilizing foreign trade continue to be released. In 2023, all localities and departments will resolutely implement the relevant work arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on promoting stability and improving the quality of foreign trade, and have taken some hard and practical measures in promoting the stable scale and optimal structure of foreign trade, promoting the development and growth of the private economy, and accelerating the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade. Customs has also taken a number of targeted and specific support measures to optimize the business environment, promote the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and promote the sustained and high-quality development of processing trade. The implementation of various policies has been effective, and the dividends have continued to be released, which has effectively stabilized the fundamentals of foreign trade and stimulated new momentum.
The second is the mainland's super-large-scale market and strong production capacity. In 2023, we imported more than 5 trillion yuan of bulk commodities, nearly 3 trillion yuan of electronic components and nearly 2 trillion yuan of consumer goods, providing a broad market space and cooperation opportunities for enterprises from all over the world. In 2023, the mainland will export 23.51 trillion yuan of manufacturing products, and as I mentioned in the previous release, our entire export is 23.77 trillion yuan, and the manufacturing products will reach 23.51 trillion yuan. From the "power bank" that everyone often carries with them when they go out, to the electric vehicles used in green travel, we can meet the needs of different markets. The "national tide fever" also sailed to the sea, which really attracted many foreign consumers.
The third is the hard work of every foreign trade business entity. In 2023, the number of foreign trade entities with import and export performance in the mainland will reach 645,000, a record high. In response to changes in international demand, the majority of foreign trade operators have risen to the challenge, forged ahead, actively expanded the market, grasped orders, and constantly opened up new development space.
With regard to the situation and expectations of foreign trade this year, I have briefly introduced them earlier, and I will talk about them here.
At present, external demand is still sluggish, and many international institutions predict that the overall growth of the world economy and trade this year will not be as good as before the epidemic, and trade activities will be disrupted by uncertain and unpredictable factors such as trade protectionism, increasing geopolitical conflicts, and the recent blockage of shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
At the same time, however, it should also be noted that the mainland's economy is resilient, has great potential, and is full of vitality, has the advantages of the socialist system of concentrating on doing great things, has the advantages of a super-large-scale market and strong production capacity formed by long-term accumulation, and has the advantages of the vast number of foreign trade entities that are not afraid of wind and rain, dare to break new ground, and constantly innovate, the comprehensive competitive advantage of foreign trade is still prominent, the gathering of new momentum for foreign trade is accelerating, and the favorable conditions for the development of foreign trade outweigh the unfavorable factors. Recently, our survey results on key import and export enterprises show that more than 3/4 of the enterprises are expected to be flat or grow in imports and exports this year, and we have the confidence, ability, conditions and confidence to promote the continued development of foreign trade this year. Thank you.
Shanghai Securities News:
We note that the growth rate of the mainland's foreign trade exports will slow down significantly in 2023. How do you evaluate the performance of the mainland's exports last year, how do you view the situation of foreign trade and exports this year, and what are your expectations?
Wang Lingjun:
Last year's achievements in the mainland's exports were very hard-won, and it should be said that it handed over an excellent answer. I would like to give this to my colleague, Director Lu Daliang, to answer this question.
Lv Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs and director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis:
Thank you for your question. Just now, Deputy Director Wang Lingjun gave a briefing on the overall situation of the mainland's foreign trade imports and exports.
In the past year, the world economic recovery has been sluggish, the overall performance of global trade has been relatively sluggish, and the weakness of external demand has had a direct impact on mainland exports. In terms of numbers, export growth has indeed slowed down compared to previous years. However, it is also necessary to see that the mainland's exports have reached a new high on a high base, not only achieving a reasonable growth in quantity, but also maintaining the overall stability of the share, and achieving qualitative and effective improvement in terms of growth momentum and regional pattern, demonstrating strong resilience and comprehensive competitiveness. Specifically, the following four highlights are presented:
First, the share of global exports has remained stable at a high level, and the competitive advantage of China's manufacturing is still solid. According to the latest data from the WTO, it is expected that the international market share of mainland exports will remain at a high level of about 14% in 2023. Market share is a direct reflection of market competitiveness, figuratively speaking, our share will remain stable in 2023, our "cake" will not become smaller, and our overall competitiveness will remain solid.
Second, the export of independent brands has increased significantly, and the influence of Chinese brands has been further expanded. In 2023, the export of mainland self-owned brand products increased by 9.3%, accounting for 1.7 percentage points of total export value. From the perspective of the market, mainland independent brand products have been exported to more than 200 countries and regions around the world, and "Chinese brands" can be said to be all over the world.
Third, important progress has been made in the construction of a modern industrial system, and the proportion of exports in the equipment manufacturing industry has increased. In 2023, the export of the equipment manufacturing industry, which reflects the industrial supporting and integration capabilities, will be 13.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.8%, accounting for 56.6% of the mainland's total export value, especially the development momentum of the mainland's automobile and shipbuilding industry is good, the production and sales of automobiles have repeatedly reached new highs, and the three major indicators of shipbuilding completion, new orders, and hand-held orders are leading the world, and the export of related products will increase by 66%, driving the overall growth of mainland exports by 1.5 percentage points.
Fourth, coordinated regional development has been promoted in an orderly manner, and a new pattern of regional opening-up has been accelerated. In 2023, the eastern region will account for nearly 8% of the mainland's total export value, with a growth rate 0.6 percentage points higher than the overall value, making an outstanding contribution to stabilizing the export market. Exports from the Northeast region increased by 6.5 percent, making it the fastest growing region, and the comprehensive revitalization of the Northeast has achieved new results in the field of foreign trade. The central and western regions have played a positive role in undertaking the gradient transfer of processing trade in an orderly manner and in promoting the sustained and healthy development of processing trade.
With regard to the situation of this year's exports, Deputy Director Wang Lingjun just made some briefings. On the whole, the continued sluggishness of external demand is still the main factor restricting the growth of the mainland's exports. At the same time, protectionism and unilateralism have also had an impact on the mainland's exports, and exports will face many difficulties. However, on the other hand, with the support of policies, industrial advantages, and the efforts of all parties, the comprehensive competitive advantage of the mainland's exports will continue to be consolidated. We are confident in exports.
Thank you.
U.S. International Market News Agency:
What are the main reasons for the sharp increase in China's auto exports in 2023?
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question. In recent years, with the continuous advancement of the construction of the mainland's modern industrial system. The mainland's automobile industry has made unremitting efforts to carry out scientific and technological innovation, built a complete industrial chain and supply chain, and the production and sales of automobiles have reached new highs, and the corresponding export scale is gradually expanding. In 2021 and 2022, the export volume of mainland automobiles has reached the level of 2 million and 3 million units in a row. In 2023, it will cross two million steps and export 5.221 million units, an increase of 57.4% y/y.
In particular, the mainland has vigorously promoted the green and low-carbon transformation and upgrading of the automobile industry, and the export of new energy vehicles has added a bright color to the industry. At present, one out of every three vehicles exported by the mainland is an electric passenger vehicle, and the annual export of 1.773 million vehicles is an increase of 67.1%, which contributes to the global green and low-carbon transformation.
Looking ahead, we believe that the automotive industry in mainland China still has a strong comprehensive competitive advantage, and will continue to provide more and better innovative products to meet the needs of global consumers. Thank you.
Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine reporter:
In 2023, what support measures have the customs introduced to stabilize foreign trade, what results have been achieved, and what new measures will the customs take to stabilize the fundamentals of foreign trade this year to implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference? Thank you.
Wang Lingjun:
Thank you for your question. Last year, the customs firmly grasped the implementation of various national policies and measures to stabilize foreign trade, focusing on promoting stability and improving quality and enterprise concerns, and introduced a number of support measures such as 16 measures to optimize the business environment within the scope of customs responsibilities. It can be said that it is multi-level, multi-angle, all-round and multi-time force, forming a three-dimensional space for policy support. Judging from our on-site research and feedback, the improvement of the business environment, the compression of customs clearance time, and the optimization of supervision methods have been welcomed by business entities.
First, customs clearance is speeded up and facilitated. Departure confirmation facilitation measures cover the Yangtze River Basin, save 1-2 days of transit time, implement homeopathic supervision and non-inductive customs clearance for imported iron ore, and realize "unloading and inspection" for enterprise imports, reducing customs clearance time by 65%. The "green channel for fresh and perishable goods" shortens the inspection time of agricultural and food products to less than 3 hours at the earliest, the "cloud issuance" mode of export inspection and quarantine certificate compresses the application time of enterprise certificates from the original 1-2 days to the fastest 10 minutes, and the control and inspection mode of high-tech goods such as vacuum packaging can compress the customs clearance time by about 80%. Don't underestimate the compression of two days, one hour and two hours a day, every day, every hour, and every minute of convenience can be quantified into the real money of our enterprise.
The second is to help enterprises to relieve difficulties and increase vitality. Stimulating the enthusiasm and creativity of enterprises is an important foundation for stabilizing foreign trade. In 2023, we have introduced a number of targeted measures to help enterprises reduce their burdens and increase efficiency, so as to further stimulate the vitality of enterprises. For example, the scope of application of the voluntary disclosure policy has been further expanded, and nearly 200 million yuan of late fees for enterprises have been exempted from paying taxes in accordance with the law throughout the year; an objective quantitative apportionment program for inland river freight has been introduced, which has saved nearly 100 million yuan in expenses for enterprises throughout the year; the pilot implementation of export tax rebate declarations and invoice information has made the processing of tax rebates more efficient; and the credit cultivation of "specialized, special and new" enterprises has been intensified to help enterprises cope with trade barriers, and enterprises have become stronger in grasping orders and expanding the market.
The third is to optimize services to increase momentum. Vigorously cultivating new momentum for foreign trade and creating new growth points for foreign trade are also important points for the customs to stabilize foreign trade policies. Last year, we continued to optimize the business environment at ports, continued to carry out the "Door-to-door Policy Delivery" service of the Customs, introduced 23 comprehensive reforms to promote the high-quality development of comprehensive bonded zones, optimized the measures for the return of import and export goods of cross-border e-commerce, supported cross-border e-commerce, general trade and other export goods to be exported in multiple modes of LCL, and vigorously supported the healthy and standardized development of market procurement and border people's mutual markets.
This year, the customs will resolutely implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, continue to do a good job in the implementation and effect evaluation of existing policies and measures, focus on the pain points and difficulties of enterprises, study reserves, and timely launch new measures with more targeted and more valuable content, so as to accelerate the cultivation of new momentum for foreign trade, stabilize the basic market of foreign trade and foreign investment, and consolidate and enhance the economic recovery to contribute to the positive trend of the customs.
Thank you.
Beijing Youth Daily reporter:
On the issue of private enterprises, it was mentioned in the overall introduction just now that the main role of private enterprises has been enhanced, and the proportion of foreign trade has also increased according to the data. In addition, what has the Customs done to support the development of private enterprises?
Wang Lingjun:
Thank you for your question. Last year, the development of the private economy on the whole showed a basic trend of steady progress and steady improvement. In the field of foreign trade, private enterprises also have many outstanding performances, there are four aspects.
First, it has been the largest foreign trade operator in the mainland for five consecutive years. In 2023, it will account for 53.5% of the mainland's total foreign trade, driving the overall import and export growth by 3.2 percentage points, and the number of enterprises will account for 86.2%, reaching a new high.
Second, 66.4% of the mainland's exports of self-owned brand products were completed by private enterprises. Private enterprises continue to promote brand building, and continue to achieve practical results in brand creation, brand management and brand benefits, which has enhanced the popularity and reputation of the "Made in China" brand.
Third, private enterprises accounted for 68.1 percent of the import and export value of consumer goods on the mainland. The overall technological strength of private enterprises has continued to increase, and their share in the export of high-tech consumer goods has increased year by year, and they have occupied a dominant position in the import of meat, edible aquatic products, vegetables, fruits, etc., and their role in serving people's livelihood has become more and more prominent.
Fourth, imports and exports to the Belt and Road countries increased by 9.2%, and imports and exports to traditional markets such as the European Union and the United States increased by 2.3% and 2% respectively.
In the next step, the customs will, as always, conscientiously implement the policies and measures of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on promoting the development and growth of the private economy, adhere to the "two unswerving", focus on market access, factor acquisition, fair law enforcement, rights and interests protection, etc., and go deep into enterprises to send policies, listen to opinions, and solve problems, so as to create a good environment for the development of private enterprises, further stimulate the vitality of private enterprises, and enhance the resilience of private economic development. Thank you.
Bloomberg News:
In the opening remarks, it was mentioned that the situation in the Red Sea will affect China's imports and exports. I would like to ask you how do you expect the conflict in the Red Sea and the conflict in the Suez Canal to further affect China's trade in 2024, and how will the US and UK attacks on the Houthis in Yemen this morning further affect China's foreign trade?
Wang Lingjun:
This is also an issue that we have been tracking and paying attention to, and I would like to invite Director Lu Daliang to respond.
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question, as we all know, the waters of the Red Sea are important international shipping lanes, and the safety and stability of the waters are of great importance to the global trade in goods and supply chains, as well as to the interests of many businesses around the world. Our customs is an important link in the import and export chain, and we are also tracking and paying attention to this issue. At present, the normal passage of waters has been affected somewhat, which has added instability and uncertainty to the smooth navigation routes, international trade and corporate interests, and we continue to pay attention to it. If there is an important situation, we are willing to share it in time. Thank you.
The Paper:
On January 1, 2024, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will mark its second anniversary in force. Could you please tell us about the trade between China and other RCEP member countries in 2023?
Wang Lingjun:
It is meaningful to review the effectiveness of the RCEP on the occasion of the second anniversary, and I would like to invite Director Lu Daliang to answer.
Lv Daliang:
It has been two years since the implementation of RCEP. In the past two years, the cost of regional trade has been greatly reduced, the industrial and supply chains have become more closely linked, and the trade between members has become closer. Judging from the data, in 2023, the mainland's imports and exports to the other 14 RCEP member countries will be 12.6 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.3% compared with 2021 before the agreement came into effect. RCEP continues to bring tangible dividends and benefits to members and enterprises.
First, the cooperation in the industrial chain and supply chain has been further promoted. In 2023, the mainland will export 6.41 trillion yuan to other RCEP member countries, accounting for 1.1 percentage points more than in 2021, reaching 27%. Among them, the export scale of equipment manufacturing industry increased by 32.8%, accounting for 6.5 percentage points of the mainland's exports to other RCEP member countries. Lithium batteries, auto parts, and flat panel display modules have maintained substantial growth. During the same period, the mainland imported 6.19 trillion yuan from other RCEP member countries, accounting for 34.4% of the mainland's total import value. Among them, the import volume of energy products increased by 31.2% compared with 2021, and the proportion of energy product imports in the mainland increased by 2.5 percentage points to 32.4%.
Second, from the perspective of enterprise benefits, the actual effect is continuously released. The RCEP superimposed bilateral free trade agreements that have entered into force with the mainland and other members have created good conditions for enterprises to better enjoy the benefits. In 2023, under RCEP, 90.52 billion yuan of preferential imports and 2.36 billion yuan of tax concessions will be enjoyed, and the main preferential import commodities will be plastics and their products, machinery and appliances and their parts, organic chemicals, etc., and 270.07 billion yuan of preferential exports will be enjoyed, and 4.05 billion yuan of tariff concessions will be enjoyed by member countries. There are 723 approved exporters in the country who have independently issued 12,000 RCEP declarations of origin, with a value of 10.18 billion yuan.
Over the past two years, the Customs has conscientiously implemented the arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the implementation of RCEP, implemented customs procedures and trade facilitation rules with high standards, strengthened international cooperation on animal and plant quarantine and food safety, and ensured that the preferential rules of origin are effective. At the same time, it also accurately understands the demands of enterprises and continuously improves the level of RCEP public services.
In the next step, we will also strengthen international exchanges and cooperation with the customs of RCEP member countries, follow up the latest developments of RCEP members in a timely manner, pay close attention to the implementation of measures such as trade facilitation and preferential tariff commitments, undertake training in RCEP related fields, improve the overall implementation level of the agreement, create new opportunities for the development of enterprises in the region, and inject new impetus into regional economic cooperation.
Thank you.
21st Century Business Herald reporter:
Since last year, the rebound in domestic demand has led to a steady recovery in consumption, but imports are still declining slightly. What is your expectation for this year's import situation? At present, the prices of various types of international bulk commodities have fluctuated, will this have an impact on the mainland's subsequent imports? Thank you.
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question, and I will give you a detailed introduction to the import situation.
The value of imports is determined by both the quantity of imports and the price of imports. From the perspective of the situation in 2023, the import value of the mainland will decline slightly, and from the perspective of expansion, the import price will fall by 3.1%, and the import volume will increase by 2.9%, that is to say, the decline in the import value in 2023 will be affected by the downward trend in commodity prices, and the import volume of the mainland will still increase, which also reflects the continuous recovery of mainland production and strong consumer demand.
From the perspective of the import of raw materials and key components, it can better meet the needs of the steady expansion of domestic production. In 2023, the mainland's imports of crude oil, natural gas, and coal will increase by 11%, 9.9%, and 61.8%, respectively, while iron ore, copper ore, and aluminum ore will increase by 6.6%, 9.1%, and 12.9%, respectively. At the same time, the import value of computer central processing components, aircraft parts, and audio and video equipment parts increased by 61.6%, 40.8%, and 11.5% respectively, which played an important role in the safety and stability of the industrial chain and supply chain of related domestic industries.
From the perspective of consumer goods imports, consumers' shopping choices have been enriched. In 2023, the mainland will import 1.95 trillion yuan of consumer goods such as specialty food, maternal and child products, and digital home appliances, an increase of 1.2%. In addition, the mainland has accelerated the cultivation of import trade innovation demonstration zones and the development of new business formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce. According to preliminary statistics, the mainland's cross-border e-commerce imports last year were 548.3 billion yuan, an increase of 3.9%, and convenient and flexible online shopping enabled consumers to have more and faster import channels.
As the mainland continues to expand imports, China's development is increasingly turning into opportunities for the world to share. In 2023, the mainland will successfully hold key exhibitions such as the CIIE, the Consumer Expo, and the Canton Fair, providing new opportunities for global manufacturers to enter the Chinese market. At the same time, we continue to promote access to high-quality agricultural products and food, and in 2023, imports of fresh durian and bird's nest from Vietnam, fresh pears from South Africa, dragon fruit from Ecuador, and avocado from Kenya all showed a rapid growth momentum, allowing Chinese consumers to enjoy more characteristic and high-quality products from around the world, and China's big market is increasingly becoming a big market shared by the world.
With regard to the trend of imports this year that you mentioned, this year, the mainland has made great efforts to expand domestic demand, stimulate potential consumption, and expand productive investment, which has created favorable conditions for further expanding imports, and China's huge market advantages will continue to provide support for imports.
As for the impact of commodity prices on subsequent imports, I also mentioned at the beginning that the value of imports is determined by both quantity and price. At present, the global commodity supply and demand situation is complex, and there are many uncertainties affecting the trend of volume and price, and we will continue to pay close attention to this. Thank you.
Poster News Reporter:
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) put forward by the mainland. What are the characteristics of import and export trade with the countries that have jointly built the Belt and Road, and what new measures has China Customs taken to promote the Belt and Road Initiative?
Wang Lingjun:
In October last year, the mainland successfully hosted the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and President Xi Jinping proposed eight actions for China to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative has entered a new stage of high-quality development. During the period, the General Administration of Customs released the trade index between China and the Belt and Road countries, which rose from 100 in 2013 to 165.4 in 2022, which fully demonstrated the achievements of trade between the mainland and the Belt and Road countries in the past decade. In 2023, trade between the mainland and the co-construction countries will continue to grow and maintain a good momentum of development. It is reflected in the following three aspects:
First, trade has become closer. In 2023, the import and export between the mainland and the Belt and Road countries will reach 19.47 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%, accounting for 46.6% of the mainland's total foreign trade, the highest level since the initiative was proposed.
Second, the customs clearance of goods is smoother. In 2023, 17,000 China-Europe freight trains will run and send 1.9 million TEUs of goods, an increase of 6% and 18% year-on-year respectively, 860,000 TEUs of goods will be transported by trains of the new western land-sea corridor, an increase of 14%, and 4.218 million tons of import and export goods will be released by customs supervision and release of China-Laos Railway, an increase of 94.9%. Friends who are interested in durian will find that last year's fruits from Southeast Asian countries were richer and fresher, which was related to the China-Laos Railway, after the opening of the China-Laos Railway through the fruit cold chain special train, the fruit import was smoother and more convenient, from Thailand to Kunming, the mainland, a cabinet to the end, the whole cold chain, and the transportation time was shortened from the original 5-7 days to 3 days.
Third, mutual benefit and win-win results are more in-depth. Through trade cooperation, the needs of people of all countries for a better life can be better met. In 2023, the mainland will export 86.1 billion yuan of foreign contracted projects to the co-construction countries, an increase of nearly 3%.
In the next step, the customs will follow the eight actions announced by President Xi Jinping, strengthen communication and coordination, promote institutional cooperation with the counterpart departments of the co-construction countries, implement the follow-up work of the signed customs inspection and quarantine cooperation documents, deepen cooperation in the fields of port management, paperless cooperation on plant quarantine certificates, and supply chain interconnection, so as to promote the safe and smooth trade with the co-construction countries and promote the steady and long-term development of the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative.
Thank you.
Shenzhen Satellite TV reporter:
Please introduce the import and export situation of foreign trade between the mainland and ASEAN in 2023, and what is your view on the follow-up trend?
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question. In 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. After years of hard work, the economic integration between China and ASEAN has continued to deepen, and economic and trade cooperation has been accelerating day by day. In 2023, trade between the mainland and ASEAN will continue to grow. Specifically:
First, the two sides are each other's largest trading partners. Since 2013, the average annual growth rate of trade between the mainland and ASEAN has been 8.8%, 3.8 percentage points higher than the average annual growth rate of the mainland as a whole in the same period. In 2023, bilateral trade will continue to grow, reaching 6.41 trillion yuan, and ASEAN will maintain its position as the mainland's largest trading partner for four consecutive years, and the mainland will also be ASEAN's largest trading partner for many consecutive years.
Second, the industrial chain and supply chain are deeply interconnected. The mainland and ASEAN have given full play to their respective comparative advantages and deepened the integrated development of industrial and supply chains. In 2023, the mainland's imports and exports of intermediate goods to ASEAN will reach 4.13 trillion yuan, and ASEAN has maintained the largest trading partner of the mainland for many years. The cooperation between the two sides in green energy, consumer electronics and other industries has been deepened, and the mainland's exports of lithium batteries and solar cells to ASEAN, as well as imported audio and video equipment parts, have grown rapidly. At the same time, ASEAN is an important source of imports of agricultural and energy products on the mainland, and almost all of the mainland's palm oil imports come from Indonesia and Malaysia, with Indonesia and Myanmar being the largest source of coal and tin ore imports on the mainland, respectively.
Third, the land border passage is booming in both passengers and goods. After the transition of the new crown epidemic prevention and control, the passenger flow and logistics at land border ports resumed in an orderly manner, and the border trade increased significantly. The average number of people entering and leaving the Dongxing port in Guangxi and Hekou in Yunnan exceeded 10,000 per day, returning to the lively scene of the past. In April 2023, the passenger service of the China-Laos Railway was officially opened, facilitating the flow of people along the line, and by the end of the year, the customs had supervised a total of 11.42 trillion people entering and leaving the country through the China-Laos Railway.
Looking ahead, with the acceleration of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 negotiations, the areas of cooperation between the two sides will be further expanded, and bilateral trade will continue to maintain a good development momentum. In the next step, the Customs will implement various customs clearance facilitation measures, steadily promote the construction of smart ports along the China-Vietnam border, vigorously support the high-quality development of the China-Laos Railway, and actively support the construction of the new land-sea corridor in the western region, so as to help China-ASEAN bilateral trade achieve greater development. Thank you.
Shou Xiaoli:
Everyone was very interested in the import and export situation, and many reporters raised their hands, and we continued to ask questions.
Beijing News reporter:
Last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping made a series of arrangements for the coordinated development of the region, and the customs launched 12 targeted measures to support the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question. All along, the General Administration of Customs has resolutely implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee on regional coordinated development, and has taken supporting and promoting regional coordinated development as an important starting point for serving high-level, opening-up and high-quality development. In 2023, we have introduced 12 key measures to support the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, 15 key measures to support the acceleration of the construction of the new western land-sea corridor, and 16 measures to better support the high-level opening up and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. These measures mainly focus on the development of regional characteristic industries, promote collaborative innovation and industrial collaboration, and effectively promote the high-level opening up of the region.
In 2023, the import and export of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will be 5.03 trillion yuan, of which imports account for 2% of the country's total import value, covering more than half of the mainland's imports of grain, crude oil, natural gas, and aircraft, and enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region will account for 2/3 of the country's total imported automobiles. It has played an important role in expanding the import of services, ensuring domestic supply, and meeting the needs of production and life.
2023 is the fifth anniversary of the integration of the Yangtze River Delta as a national strategy, and the region's import and export will reach 15.17 trillion yuan, an increase of 37.3% compared with five years ago, and the proportion of the country's total import and export value will increase to 36.3%. The leading role of the Yangtze River Delta region in opening up is very prominent.
In 2023, the import and export of the nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be 7.95 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.4%, accounting for 19% of the country's total import and export value. The proportion of import and export of high-tech products in the region is 13.6 percentage points higher than the national average, showing outstanding advantages in scientific and technological research and development and industrial innovation.
In 2023, Northeast China will actively expand the "Belt and Road" market, and will be the region with the fastest growth rate of mainland exports to the co-construction countries, the Chengdu-Chongqing Shuangcheng Economic Circle will have the agglomeration effect of the mobile phone and automobile industries, and the export value of related products will reach a record high, and the import and export scale of Xiong'an New Area will grow jointly, with an average annual growth rate of 35.8% since 2020.
This year, the customs will continue to do a good job in the implementation of various support measures in accordance with the decision-making and deployment of the Central Economic Work Conference on promoting regional coordinated development, and at the same time study and formulate a new round of policies and measures to support the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China in the new era, further promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and other policies and measures, so as to promote regional coordinated development with greater efforts and better serve high-quality development and high-level opening-up. Thank you.
Shou Xiaoli:
Go ahead and ask questions, the last two questions.
International Business Daily reporter:
New business formats such as cross-border e-commerce have become an important force in stabilizing foreign trade. What are the highlights of the development of cross-border e-commerce in 2023 and what measures has the Customs taken to support the development of cross-border e-commerce?
Wang Lingjun:
Everyone here in the cross-border e-commerce room may be involved, and this question is answered by Director Lu Daliang.
Lv Daliang:
Thank you for your question. Cross-border e-commerce is closely related to the majority of consumers and has always attracted everyone's attention. At present, cross-border e-commerce has become a new force in global trade, and the scale of mainland netizens has exceeded 1 billion, making it the world's largest online retail market, and cross-border e-commerce is growing particularly rapidly. According to preliminary estimates, in 2023, the mainland's cross-border e-commerce import and export will be 2.38 trillion yuan, an increase of 15.6%. Among them, exports were 1.83 trillion yuan, up by 19.6 percent, and imports were 548.3 billion yuan, up by 3.9 percent. The number of consumers participating in cross-border e-commerce imports is increasing year by year, reaching 163 million in 2023. With the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce, everyone can "buy and sell globally", which not only meets the diversified and personalized needs of domestic consumers, but also helps mainland products reach the world, becoming an important driving force for the development of foreign trade.
In 2023, according to the development trend and characteristics of cross-border e-commerce, the Customs will promote the comprehensive reform of customs cross-border e-commerce supervision, carry out a number of reform pilots, continuously improve the efficiency of supervision and services, and strongly support the sustainable and healthy development of cross-border e-commerce. The first is to respond to the demands of e-commerce enterprises, open the online tax payment function, facilitate customs clearance, and further help enterprises reduce operating costs; the second is to carry out the cross-border e-commerce retail import and export goods cross-customs return pilot, continue to improve the return measures, and effectively solve the "worries" of enterprises and consumers, return may be unwilling to encounter, but sometimes it is unavoidable; the third is to continue to pay attention to overseas food safety issues, timely release early warning information, to ensure the people's "safety on the tip of the tongue"; Fourth, strengthen cooperation with cross-border e-commerce platform enterprises, strengthen the cultivation of corporate credit, guide enterprises to operate in compliance, and promote the high-quality and healthy development of cross-border e-commerce.
The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to expand cross-border e-commerce exports. In 2024, the Customs will resolutely and conscientiously implement the spirit of the Central Committee, focus on the difficulties and blockages in the development of cross-border e-commerce, continue to deepen the comprehensive reform of cross-border e-commerce, promote the intelligent supervision of cross-border e-commerce, ensure the quality and safety of import and export products and the convenience of customs clearance, and continuously improve the efficiency of customs supervision and the sense of gain of relevant enterprises and consumers.
Thank you.
Daily Economic News Reporter:
The Central Economic Work Conference put forward the requirements for expanding the trade of intermediate goods, what is the situation of the import and export of intermediate goods in the mainland in 2023?
Wang Lingjun:
Thank you for your question. With the Central Economic Work Conference put forward the requirements for expanding the trade of intermediate goods, the more professional concept of intermediate goods began to be understood by more people, and the goods of international trade can be said to be diverse and varied. According to the standards of the United Nations, it can be divided into three types, capital goods, intermediate goods, and consumer goods. Intermediate goods include raw materials, semi-finished products, parts and components, and other products.
With the in-depth development of globalization and international division of labor, intermediate goods, as a link between the upstream and downstream of the industry, have increasingly become the main body of global trade, accounting for more than half of the global trade in goods, and playing a very important role in promoting the development of global trade and ensuring the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain. China is deeply integrated into globalization, and the proportion of import and export of intermediate goods continues to increase. Last year, the import and export of intermediate goods was 25.53 trillion yuan, accounting for 61.1% of the total import and export value, maintaining a historical high. We look at intermediate goods in terms of both exports and imports.
From the perspective of exports, it has played an important role in promoting the industrial development of countries around the world. Thanks to a complete industrial system and strong supply capacity, the mainland exports a large number of intermediate goods, meeting the needs of industrial development in different regions of the world. In 2023, the mainland will export 11.24 trillion yuan of intermediate goods, accounting for 47.3% of the mainland's total export value. Among them, mechanical and electrical intermediate products were 6.37 trillion yuan, an increase of 1.9 percent; from the specific market point of view, the mainland exported auto parts to Japan and Mexico, exported lithium batteries to the United States and Germany, and exported flat panel display module intermediate products to Vietnam and Indonesia, all of which achieved double-digit growth. During the same period, the mainland exported more than one trillion yuan of textile and plastic intermediate goods, providing assistance for the industrial development of ASEAN, Africa and other regions.
From the perspective of imports, it effectively guarantees domestic production and supply and provides a market for global enterprises. Last year, the mainland imported 14.29 trillion yuan of intermediate goods, accounting for 79.4 percent of the mainland's total import value, of which 4.41 trillion yuan were mechanical and electrical intermediate goods, 3.2 trillion yuan of energy products, and 1.67 trillion yuan of metal ores. At the same time, the mainland's import sources cover more than 200 countries and regions on six continents, and the huge market demand also provides huge cooperation opportunities for enterprises from all over the world.
The Central Economic Work Conference regards the expansion of trade in intermediate goods as a key task of the mainland's expansion of high-level opening up, reflecting the mainland's responsibility as a major country to deepen international cooperation in industrial and supply chains with practical actions. In accordance with the deployment of the Central Economic Work Conference, the Customs will support the import of key components and important raw materials, ensure the stable supply of grain, energy resources and high-quality agricultural products, improve the efficient and smooth customs clearance mechanism, and create a better port business environment and more convenient cross-border trade services for the expansion of intermediate goods trade. Thank you.
Shou Xiaoli:
Thank you to the two publishers, and thank you to the journalists for participating. That's all for today's press conference, and goodbye.