On August 14, the person in charge of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce introduced my country's foreign trade operations from January to July 2018.

According to customs statistics, from January to July, my country’s total import and export volume was 16.72 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year (the same below); of which exports were 8.89 trillion yuan, an increase of 5%; imports were 7.83 trillion yuan, an increase of 12.9%; a surplus of 1.07 Trillion yuan, narrowed by 30.6%. In July, my country’s total import and export volume was 2.60 trillion yuan, an increase of 12.5%; of which exports were 1.39 trillion yuan, an increase of 6%; imports were 1.21 trillion yuan, an increase of 20.9%; the trade surplus was 176.96 billion yuan, a decrease of 42.6%. Since the beginning of this year, imports and exports have achieved relatively rapid growth, the structure has continued to be optimized, the transformation of power has been accelerated, quality and efficiency have been further improved, and the momentum of stable and positive foreign trade development has been further consolidated. The person in charge of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce pointed out that from January to July 2018, the following highlights:

First, the scale of import and export hit a record high. From January to July, my country's import and export scale reached 16.72 trillion yuan (2.61 trillion US dollars), the highest level in history during the same period. From an international comparison, according to the latest import and export data of 30 major economies in the first half of the year published by the World Trade Organization, my country’s import and export growth rate is 3.8 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of major economies.

The second is to further optimize the structure. The international market is more diversified. While consolidating traditional markets such as the United States, Europe, and Japan, imports and exports to emerging markets have achieved rapid growth. The growth rates of trade between China and the BRIC countries and the countries along the “Belt and Road” reached 12.4% and 11.3% respectively. . The domestic regional layout was more balanced. Imports and exports in the central and western regions increased by 15.0%, 6.4 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate, and the proportion increased by 0.9 percentage points to 15.6%. The commodity structure was further optimized. The export of mechanical and electrical products increased by 6.8%, and the proportion increased by 1.0 percentage point to 58.3%. Among them, exports of automobiles, mobile phones, computers and other products increased by 17.9%, 8.9% and 5.2% respectively. All business entities developed together. The export of private enterprises increased by 7.6%, and their proportion increased by 1.2 percentage points to 47.7%, continuing to maintain their position as the largest export business entity. The mode of trade was further optimized. Imports and exports of general trade increased by 12.7%, and the proportion increased by 2.1 percentage points to 58.9%.

The third is to speed up power conversion. The business environment for the development of new forms of foreign trade continues to improve. Cross-border e-commerce and market procurement trade have continued to maintain rapid growth this year after two consecutive years of rapid growth, becoming a new bright spot in foreign trade growth. The independent innovation and brand building capabilities of foreign trade enterprises have been continuously enhanced, and the endogenous driving force for the development of foreign trade has increased day by day.

Fourth is the further improvement of quality and efficiency. The quality, grade and added value of export commodities increased. From January to July, the added value of mechanical and electrical products such as computers and motors further increased, with export unit prices increasing by 11.7% and 6.8% respectively. Contributions to national economic and social development have been enhanced. In the first half of the year, my country’s import tax revenue was 997.4 billion yuan, an increase of 8.9%, accounting for 10.9% of my country’s total tax revenue.

Since the beginning of this year, the world economy and trade have picked up, and the domestic economy has continued to consolidate its steady and positive momentum, which has provided strong support for the development of my country’s foreign trade. The Ministry of Commerce, in conjunction with various departments and localities, resolutely implements the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, pays close attention to the implementation of policies, and strives to reduce the burden on enterprises, further optimizes the business environment, and achieves positive results; a large number of foreign trade enterprises are working hard from the supply side and actively nurturing With new advantages in foreign trade competition centered on technology, brand, quality, service and standards, the added value of products and brand influence have been further improved; in November this year, we will also hold the first China International Import Expo to actively open up the market to the world. It provides more favorable conditions for our foreign trade development.

In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, firmly establish and implement the new development concept, follow the tasks and requirements set out in the "Government Work Report", adhere to the general tone of seeking progress while maintaining stability, and deepen foreign trade. Supply-side structural reform; vigorously cultivate new trade formats, promote the innovative development of processing trade, implement more active import policies, go all out to prepare for the first China International Import Expo, further enhance the level of trade facilitation, promote high-quality development of foreign trade, and promote The building of a powerful trade country will make greater contributions to national economic and social development.