This year marks the 30th anniversary of Beijing E-Town being designated as a national-level economic and technological development area. Over the past three decades, E-Town's total foreign trade has skyrocketed from less than 100 million yuan in 1995 to 151.25 billion yuan (US$21.2 billion) in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 30.9%, according to Beijing Customs. 

In the first three quarters of 2024, the total import and export of E-Town registered at 122.87 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 8.3%. During the same period, E-Town's import totaled 81.79 billion yuan, an increase of 6.9%, while export reached 41.08 billion yuan, an increase of 11.3%. The region accounted for 4.6% of Beijing's overall foreign trade, an increase of 0.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year. 

Beijing E-town has continually optimized its business environment over the past 30 years, attracting investment from the rest of the world. The number of enterprises engaged in import and export activities rose from merely eight in 1995 to 1,164 in 2023. Foreign-invested enterprises imported and exported 88.73 billion yuan, a 9.7% increase, making up 72.2% of E-town's trade, well above Beijing's average level of 15.8%. 

The trading network of E-town continues to expand. In the first three quarters, its top three trading partners were the EU, Japan, and ASEAN, with trade with the EU totaling 55.15 billion yuan, a 20.9% increase, representing 44.9% of E-town's total foreign trade. Trade with Japan and ASEAN reached 11.66 billion yuan and 10.61 billion yuan, respectively. 

Additionally, trade with Belt and Road countries amounted to 41.62 billion yuan, growing by 36.4% and accounting for 33.9% of the total; trade with other BRICS nations reached 7.36 billion yuan, a 5.7% increase.

As a major platform for international technological innovation, E-town's role in high-end manufacturing and tech innovation continues to strengthen. Over 30 years, its main export and import goods have evolved from packaging machinery and lighting to high-value items such as integrated circuits and medical devices, with high-tech products now accounting for 50% of total trade, up from 9.9% in 1995.

In the first three quarters, imports and exports of auto parts, integrated circuits, and pharmaceuticals were 18.96 billion yuan, 17.14 billion yuan, and 5.41 billion yuan, respectively, growing by 22.5%, 40.4%, and 22%. E-town leads Beijing in trading auto parts, importing semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and exporting LCD panels.

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