The Paper.cn:
The year 2024 marks the beginning of the second decade of the BRI cooperation. May I ask, how was the import and export performance between China and BRI partner countries in the first quarter of this year? What new measures has China's customs taken to advance the BRI cooperation? Thank you.
Wang Lingjun:
Thank you for your questions. Since the proposal of the BRI, economic and trade exchanges between China and BRI partner countries have witnessed a vibrant first decade and are now actively embracing a new golden decade. In the first quarter of this year, trade between China and BRI partner countries continued to maintain good momentum of development. As I have already mentioned the relevant data in the initial briefing, I won't repeat it again now.
In terms of imports, the "Chinese market" continues to bring development opportunities to various countries. In the first quarter, China imported goods from BRI partner countries worth 2.14 trillion yuan, up by 3.6% year on year. Various advantageous commodities from BRI partner countries, such as crude oil from the Middle East, natural gas from Central Asia and metal ores from South America, were exported to China. Meanwhile, we have continued to facilitate the access of high-quality agricultural and food products with agricultural imports from BRI partner countries reaching 149.87 billion yuan in the first quarter. Imports such as sesame from Pakistan, black tea from Sri Lanka and cranberries from Peru all saw double-digit growth, allowing numerous high-quality agricultural products from various countries to enter Chinese households via the jointly developed prosperous Belt and Road route. While bulk commodities might be hard to reach for many, agricultural and food products from all corners of the world can easily be found in supermarkets.
Regarding exports, "Made in China" continues to provide stable supplies to various countries. In the first quarter, China exported goods worth 2.68 trillion yuan to BRI partner countries, up by 7% year on year. China has intensified industrial cooperation with BRI partner countries, achieving double-digit growth in the export of high-tech intermediate products such as electronic information, instruments and high-end equipment, and supporting the industrial development and technological progress of related countries. "Made in China" has effectively met the diverse consumer demands of BRI partner countries with exports of automobiles, household appliances, clothing and accessories increasing by 30.9%, 19.4% and 6% year on year, respectively. From daily consumer goods to large durable goods, Chinese products are widely welcomed by consumers. China and BRI partner countries continue to deepen cooperation in the infrastructure sector, enhancing the long-term development capabilities of BRI partner countries. In the first quarter, China exported 20.04-billion-yuan worth of turnover through overseas contracted projects to BRI partner countries, with exports to ASEAN, the Middle East and Central Asia increasing by 31.4%, 169.3%, and 3.6% year on year, respectively. Exports of photovoltaic products exceeded 30 billion yuan while more than 120,000 sets of renewable energy generators, such as solar and wind power, were exported, supporting the energy transformation and green low-carbon development of BRI partner countries.
In the first quarter of this year, the General Administration of Customs signed 11 cooperation agreements with BRI partner countries, including nine related to the access of agricultural and food products and two related to institutional cooperation. Next, in accordance with President Xi Jinping's proposal of "eight major steps" to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, customs will enhance communication and coordination with counterpart departments of BRI partner countries, deepen cooperation in port management, supply chain connectivity and agricultural and food product access and make contributions to the stable and far-reaching development of high-quality cooperation of Belt and Road. Thank you.
