Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Overseas buyers negotiated at the artificial flower booth of the Canton Fair. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua
In Yiwu International Trade City, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, foreign businessmen from Ethiopia are negotiating with merchants to buy trophies. Time-making method (People's Vision)
A number of foreign media have paid attention to the opportunity of China's foreign trade data in the first quarter with the opportunity of the Paris Olympics window period and a series of large-scale trade exhibitions. Chinese products have been recognized by the world for their high quality and price, showing the "magnetic attraction" of Chinese manufacturing. China has become a more preferred purchasing destination for global buyers, and the establishment of an efficient and extensive freight logistics system, as well as the advancement of electronic payment and cross-border payment solutions, have become important influencing factors. All-round three-dimensional layout in the field of international commerce and trade, promote "buy in China" to gain the world's "vote of confidence".
Global orders trust China
Recently, the Information Office of the State Council announced the import and export situation in the first quarter of 2024, and the data showed that the import and export scale in the first quarter exceeded 10 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period in history, and the growth rate of imports and exports hit a new high in six quarters.
A number of foreign media have paid attention to the fact that with the help of the Paris Olympics window period and a series of large-scale foreign trade exhibitions, China's foreign trade data has achieved outstanding performance.
According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" website, as the Paris Olympics approached, merchants in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China, entered the "Olympic time" and received a large number of orders for Olympic-related goods, and the "world supermarket" began to get busy. Yiwu customs data show that from January to February this year, Yiwu's exports to France reached 540 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 42%, of which the export of sporting goods increased by 70.5% year-on-year.
High quality and price beauty has always been the label of "Made in Yiwu", every time the Olympic Games, the World Cup and other competitions, "Made in Yiwu" can always burst out creatively to win the favor of the market, and the merchants have also strengthened their confidence in the "Olympic economy" from the growth of orders.
Since the beginning of this year, Yiwu Commodity City has continued to be busy, with an average daily passenger flow of more than 210,000 people. According to the news released by Zhejiang China Commodity City Group Co., Ltd., in the first quarter of 2024, the Commodity City achieved an operating income of 2.681 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.42%.
The Reuters website reported that foreign merchants are flocking to the showrooms of the Canton Fair, China's largest trade fair, in search of the Chinese products they are looking for. According to the report, on the occasion of the 135th Canton Fair, China is undergoing a strategic shift, increasing the allocation of resources to manufacturing complexes, hoping to increase the scale of value.
Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and traders have long regarded the Canton Fair as an important platform for discovering innovations and expanding their product portfolios, according to the Bangladesh Associated News Agency. Over the years, Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and traders have traveled to Guangzhou to learn innovative thinking and help Bangladesh's domestic industry reform and industrial upgrading. The report pointed out that the 135th Canton Fair has set a new benchmark for international trade exhibitions. It promotes a healthier, more sustainable and mutually beneficial global trading environment, and plays a significant role in shaping the future of global commerce.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that more high-tech products were unveiled at the Canton Fair, with 29,000 companies from home appliances, daily necessities and high-tech industries represented by artificial intelligence participating in the exhibition. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the number of buyers from the Middle East and other places is expected to increase. Judging from the pre-conference registration, it is expected that more than 140,000 overseas buyers will participate in the conference, and the number of buyers from the Middle East will increase by 24.7% compared with the previous session.
On April 23, the second phase of the 135th Canton Fair kicked off. As of 17:00 on April 23, 156,900 overseas buyers attended the meeting, a year-on-year increase of 21.2%. In the second phase of the Canton Fair, exhibitors in household goods, gifts, decorations and other industries were recognized for their quality, demonstrating the "magnetic attraction" of Made in China.
Efficient logistics to help go to sea
The establishment of an efficient and extensive freight logistics system provides an important boost for the world to choose Chinese products. With the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has strengthened its logistics connectivity to Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond, enhancing its connectivity to global markets through multiple logistics corridors. The speed of goods transportation is faster, the cost is reduced, and the purchase of Made in China has become a better choice for buyers.
According to the Latin American News Agency, during the Spring Festival in 2024, the "Yixinou" train departing from Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, will ship various Chinese products to more than 50 countries and more than 160 cities with a frequency of eight trains per day. During the Spring Festival, an average of 30 China-Europe trains depart from China to the world every day. According to the report, the realization of the scale of international trade flows is largely due to the construction of overseas warehouses, which can be used to quickly deliver goods. The construction of new foreign trade infrastructure such as overseas warehouses has opened up the "last mile" of cross-border e-commerce and provided overseas users with a more convenient shopping experience.
How to deliver a large number of goods produced in Yiwu to customers at the fastest speed is a test of the ability of the logistics supply chain. "If you go by sea, the goods exported to France will be sent at least two or three months in advance, and the cost of air freight is very high. The 'Yixinou' train gives us another option besides sea and air freight, through which the goods from Yiwu can reach Paris in about 20 days. Wang Qiang, president of Yiwu Sports and Fitness Products Industry Association, introduced.
A few days ago, Guillermo Avril, a reporter for Spain's "El País", took the "Yixinou" train to experience "small changes and great changes". As part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the Yixinou train connects Yiwu, one of China's major manufacturing hubs, with Madrid, via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France. According to the Spanish journalist, China is the "real protagonist" of this train, and the operation of this railway indicates that a new process of globalization has begun. In this process, China is showing great influence with its manufacturing scale and capabilities.
Santana is the person in charge of the "Yixinou" China-Europe train in Madrid. The Abronigal station in Madrid, Spain, is full of warehouses and stacked containers, and a train comes in every few minutes. This is the last stop before the goods are shipped to wholesalers and consumers. "On average, the freight train will be relayed by 16 locomotives and up to 65 train drivers," Santana said. ”
China's continuous investment and optimization to establish a global and efficient freight logistics system has become one of the important supporting factors for China's foreign trade growth and global market share expansion.
Financial facilitation links between China and foreign countries
Financial payment facilitation is one of the important factors driving international trade, and it is particularly critical to strengthen buyers' purchase intentions and optimize the buying experience. In recent years, China's rapid development and innovation in the field of financial payments, especially in the advancement of electronic payment and cross-border payment solutions, have significantly improved the convenience and security of global buyers purchasing in China.
Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" website reported that China will build a number of key business districts for payment facilitation for foreign visitors to China, and strive to basically achieve full coverage of overseas bank card acceptance by key merchants. The People's Bank of China, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange have jointly issued a notice to further optimize payment services in the commercial sector and improve payment convenience. According to the notice, the relevant departments will promote the promotion and application of a variety of payment methods in the commercial field to effectively meet the payment service needs of the elderly, foreign personnel and other groups.
This year, Musta, a Jordanian merchant from the "Old Canton Fair", has a new experience. In the service area of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the venue, he put his ID card on the self-service foreign currency exchange machine for identification, and then put in the euro, and soon the RMB cash came out, "The self-service exchange machine is really convenient, I have seen it in different places in the venue." ”
Kevin, a foreign businessman, directly exchanged and recharged the digital yuan hard wallet to get a card. By touching the POS machine, he successfully bought a bowl of noodles for lunch at the noodle restaurant. "This card makes a lot of sense and I will always keep it in my collection. He said.
Previously, Wang Shouwen, international trade negotiator and vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, introduced at a press conference that from the survey, among the most commonly used payment methods by overseas buyers in Guangzhou, cash accounted for 52%, mobile payment accounted for 33%, and bank cards accounted for 15%.
A number of financial institutions stationed at the Canton Fair venues have reported that compared with the previous session, the overall business volume this year has increased significantly. "The cash exchange business only needs to be handled by yourself with a valid identity document. The exchange machine automatically recognizes the currency and the denomination for currency conversion. Yao Xuan, president of the Canton Fair branch of the Bank of China, introduced that from April 15 to 18, about 2,000 people handled exchange and cash withdrawal business at the service points of the Bank of China in the Canton Fair venue, and about 130 new accounts were opened.
China continues to optimize and upgrade its financial payment system to provide more convenient and secure payment options for global buyers, accelerate the transaction process, and help China become a more preferred purchasing destination for global buyers. (Reporter Xu Lingyuan)
People's Daily Overseas Edition (2024-04-29 10th Edition)