The wine displayed at the Fujian pavilion at the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) attracts customers. [Photo/fjsen.com.cn]

Fujian province has been increasing its imports of advanced equipment and technology, medical devices, as well as drugs at the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which is being held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, exemplifying the rise in the province's import trade.

Fujian's imports reached a record high of 568.27 billion yuan ($88.93 billion) in the first three quarters of this year, exceeding last year's total amount of imports, with a year-on-year increase of 37 percent, which was 14.4 percentage points higher than the national average. Fujian's import growth rate ranked first among the major provinces and cities along the eastern coast of China, according to statistics released by Fujian Customs.

Fujian province promotes Fujian culture at the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. [Photo/fjsen.com.cn]

Fujian's imports of 20 kinds of commodities ranked first in China this year, including stone, sorghum, stainless steel, barley, as well as fish meal products. With the steady growth of industrial production in the province, Fujian's imports of mechanical and electrical products totaled 96.42 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 25.7 percent, accounting for 17 percent of its total imports.

Fujian's rapid import growth is partly due to its optimization of import trade patterns.

At the opening ceremony of the third CIIE last year, Xiamen's Huli district was selected as an import trade promotion and innovative demonstration zone, which has further bolstered the optimization of Xiamen and Fujian's import trade pattern.

Another major factor of Fujian's rapid import growth is an innovative mechanism that facilitates imports.

In May, Luoyu Port in Putian became the first port in the province and the sixth port in China to meet the standard of berthing and unloading the world's largest 400,000-ton ore ship.

Apart from meeting the needs of Fujian province, the imported iron ore from Luoyu Port is also transported to Jiangxi, Hunan, Taiwan, and the provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

According to statistics, Fujian's import scale increased from 473.8 billion yuan in 2018 to 556.1 billion yuan in 2020, while its import ranking in the country increased from eighth to seventh in that period.