Zhanjiang's trade value with B&R countries hit $370 m in Q1

The trade value of Zhanjiang city with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative hit 2.5 billion yuan ($370 million) in the first quarter of 2019, an increase of 44.6 percent year-on-year.

The city's exports to the countries along the Belt and Road reached 1.5 billion yuan and the import value stood at 1 billion yuan with private enterprises remaining as the largest contributor.

The figures were released by the city's statistics bureau on April 20. In the first quarter of 2019, the city's total import and export value is 7.77 billion yuan, with exports and imports standing at 3.81 billion yuan and 3.96 billion yuan respectively.

The city's imported goods from the countries along the Belt and Road are mainly marine products, coal and sugar. The exported commodities to these countries are mechanical and electrical products, furniture, steel and paper.　

Statistics also show that ASEAN countries are still the largest import and export market along the Belt and Road for Zhanjiang, whose total import and export value with Zhanjiang hit 1.27 billion yuan, accounting for 50.7 percent of all the Belt and Road countries.

Zhanjiang Customs has been actively encouraging enterprises in its jurisdiction to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative cooperation agreements, and fully promotes mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) of national enterprises along the Belt and Road. It also engages in promoting self-printing of certificates of origin certificate, and optimizing business environment of ports and improving customs clearance efficiency.