SCIO press conference on China's imports and exports in 2022
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 20, 2023
Speaker:
Lyu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC)
Chairperson:
Xing Huina, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and SCIO spokesperson
Date:
Jan. 13, 2023
Xing Huina:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we are joined by Mr. Lyu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), who will introduce the situation and answer your questions.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Lyu for a brief introduction.
Lyu Daliang:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning! Welcome to today's press conference. It's a great pleasure to meet you. I'll begin by introducing China's import and export performance for 2022 and then answer your questions.
In 2022, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China kept in mind both our internal and international imperatives and coordinated epidemic response with economic and social development, as well as balancing development and security, amid complex and severe domestic and international situations. Despite facing unexpected challenges, China's volume of foreign trade and imports reached new heights, with a steady improvement in their quality. According to statistics from the GACC, China's foreign trade value in 2022 was 42.07 trillion yuan, up 7.7% year on year. Exports saw a 10.5% increase to 23.97 trillion yuan, and imports rose by 4.3% to 18.1 trillion yuan. Specifically, there were five main features, which I will now outline:
First, China's imports and exports are resilient and large in scale. China's foreign trade value exceeded 40 trillion yuan for the first time in 2022, continuing to grow from the high base set in 2021 and reaching a new record high. China has been the world's largest trading nation for goods for six consecutive years. In the first and second quarters of 2022, the total value of imports and exports surpassed 9 trillion yuan and 10 trillion yuan, respectively. In the third quarter, the total value of imports and exports increased to 11.3 trillion yuan, a new quarterly record. In the fourth quarter, the total value of imports and exports remained at 11 trillion yuan.
Second, China's trading partners are well-distributed and have strong growth potential. In 2022, China's imports and exports with ASEAN, the European Union, and the United States reached 6.52 trillion yuan, 5.65 trillion yuan, and 5.05 trillion yuan, respectively, an increase of 15%, 5.6%, and 3.7%, respectively. During the same period, China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road increased by 19.4%, accounting for 32.9% of China's total foreign trade, up 3.2 percentage points. The country's trade with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) increased by 7.5%.
Third, general trade is growing rapidly and its share is increasing. In 2022, China's general trade reached 26.81 trillion yuan, an increase of 11.5%. It accounted for 63.7% of the total foreign trade volume, up 2.2 percentage points. Among general trade, exports rose by 15.4% to 15.25 trillion yuan and imports expanded by 6.7% to 11.56 trillion yuan. During the same period, processing trade reached 8.45 trillion yuan, accounting for 20.1% of the total foreign trade volume.
Fourth, the number of foreign trade entities is increasing and they have strong vitality. In 2022, the number of enterprises involved in exports and imports increased by 5.6% to 598,000. Among them, there were 510,000 private enterprises, an increase of 7%. Their imports and exports reached 21.4 trillion yuan, up by 12.9%, accounting for 50.9% of the total foreign trade volume, up by 2.3 percentage points. Meanwhile, foreign-invested enterprises and state-owned enterprises recorded 13.82 trillion yuan and 6.77 trillion yuan in foreign trade, respectively, accounting for 32.9% and 16.1% of the total foreign trade volume.
Fifth, the main products enjoyed stable supply and demand as well as abundant advantages. In 2022, China's imports and exports of electromechanical products reached 20.66 trillion yuan, up by 2.5% and accounting for 49.1% of the total import and export value. Specifically, exports of solar cells, lithium batteries, and automobiles increased by 67.8%, 86.7%, and 82.2%, respectively. In the same period, the export of labor-intensive products amounted to 4.28 trillion yuan, up by 8.9% and accounting for 17.9% of the total export value. Specifically, exports of bags and suitcases, shoes, and toys rose by 32.6%, 24.4%, and 9.1%, respectively. In addition, imports of energy products such as crude oil, natural gas, and coal totaled 3.19 trillion yuan, up by 40.9% and accounting for 17.6% of the total import value. The import of agricultural products reached 1.57 trillion yuan, up by 10.8 % and accounting for 8.7% of the total import value.
2022 was an essential year in the history of the Party and the country. The 20th CPC National Congress was successfully convened, drawing an ambitious blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects. Despite the triple pressures of demand contraction, supply shock, and weakening expectations, as well as many great challenges and difficulties, China still made outstanding achievements in foreign trade, which speaks volumes of its resilience. This is the result of the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Over the past year, with a focus on welcoming the 20th CPC National Congress, as well as studying, publicizing and implementing its guiding principles, customs authorities have developed a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, resolutely upheld Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and upholding the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and unwaveringly implemented the decisions and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. In accordance with the important requirements of preventing the epidemic, stabilizing the economy, and securing development, we have guarded the country's door and promoted the development and efficiently coordinated epidemic prevention and control at ports and the promotion of the steady growth of foreign trade, which has effectively facilitated the stable and quality development of foreign trade and made positive contributions to steady and sound economic growth.
In general, China's foreign trade secured new breakthroughs in 2022, and the scale, quality, and performance of imports and exports improved simultaneously. These achievements did not come easily. Looking ahead to this year, China's foreign trade development will still face many difficulties and challenges as the foundation for our economic recovery is still not solid, the external environment is turbulent, and the downward pressure on the global economy is mounting. While facing these difficulties and challenges, we must also recognize that China's economy enjoys strong resilience, tremendous potential, and great vitality and that the fundamentals sustaining its long-term growth have remained strong. Overall, our economy is expected to pick up this year, and we must be more confident in stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade.
2023 is the first year when the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress are implemented. The GACC is convening the national customs work conference today to study and deploy the work for 2023. Customs authorities will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly grasp the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and resolutely uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We will earnestly study and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, effectively implement the major decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and cement loyalty, carry out missions, guard the door of the country, promote development, and work hard in solidarity. We will keep our feet on the ground and forge ahead, make greater efforts to stabilize the scale and optimize the structure of foreign trade, speed up the construction of modern socialist customs, and make new and greater contributions to promoting a Chinese path to modernization on all fronts.
Now, I would like to take your questions.
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