Zhanjiang city [Photo from gdzjdaily.com]

Zhanjiang foreign trade volume increased 13.4 percent year-on-year to 6.3 billion dollars in 2014, when the national economic development slowed down and foreign trade development in Guangdong province faced downward pressure.

Zhanjiang Customs released the 2014 foreign trade statistics recently, showing that Zhanjiang’s export and import volume both increased at double digit, respectively with an increase rate of 11.1 percent and 15.5 percent.

The monthly data shows that Zhanjiang’s foreign trade maintained a downturn trend in the first half of 2014, while recovered in the second half, increasing consecutively for five months since August.

Zhanjiang, as a major port city in South China, enjoys geographical superiority in foreign trade development. Its major trading partners include Africa, ASEAN, US, Latin America and UAE. Africa has proved to be a market with highest potential, with bilateral trade volume increasing 66.6 percentto 9.31 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion US dollars).

Zhanjiang’s main export products included aquatic products, furniture and textile products, while crude oil was the main imports that accounted for about 57.5 percent of the total import volume.

The foreign-invested enterprises contributed 20.07 billion yuan (about 3.2 billion US dollars) to the city’s total foreign trade volume, leading businesses of all kinds.

Zhanjiang government has issued many policies to boost foreign trade development in the city. It also held the first China International Aquatic Products Exposition, and established three overseas economic and trade representative offices in Germany, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

The expansion of the Zhanjiang Port also played an important role in driving the city’s foreign trade development. The State Council approved increasing 29 more berths in the port, which amounted to double the throughput capacity of the port. Moreover, the bonded logistics center in Zhanjiang was approved officially, making Zhanjiang the first city in western Guangdong to set up a bonded logistics center.