With the global epidemic prevention and control gradually becoming normal, the trade demand for epidemic-related materials has weakened, and many manufacturing countries have restarted production. Will it exert structural adjustment pressure on my country’s foreign trade exports? How should we look at the next foreign trade situation?
On July 22, at the press conference on business work and operations in the first half of the year held by the Information Office of the State Council, Li Xinggan, Director of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, answered the news ( www.thepaper.cn) The reporter asked the above question. He said that in RMB terms, China’s foreign trade imports and exports increased by 27.1% from January to June, and the scale hit a record high. This is the result of multiple factors of global supply and demand. The most important thing is that demand drives supply. Since the outbreak of the global epidemic, China’s foreign trade has further tempered and grown its comprehensive competitiveness in the creative practice of serving and ensuring the production and life of the people of all countries. The epidemic has caused a huge gap in supply and demand in the international market. China’s foreign trade supply chain system can quickly adapt to changes in international market demand, provide marketable products in a timely manner, and meet the needs of epidemic prevention, production and life in all countries and regions. As a responsible country, China has provided more than 300 billion masks, 3.7 billion protective clothing, and 4.8 billion test kits to more than 200 countries and regions. It has also provided more than 600 million vaccines to the world. The epidemic fight continues to make important contributions. At the same time, to serve the home, office and life needs of people in various countries, Chinese foreign trade companies have fully mobilized production resources, improved R&D and design levels, strengthened product quality monitoring, and exported a large number of high-quality consumer products.
Li Xingqian said that since the beginning of this year, with the acceleration of vaccination, some countries have experienced economic recovery and production has gradually recovered. This is a challenge and an opportunity for China’s foreign trade. . On the one hand, my country’s exports will face intensified market competition; on the other hand, countries need a lot of raw materials and production equipment to resume production, and their demand for capital goods and intermediate goods has increased significantly. In the first six months of this year, the proportion of consumer goods exports fell, but the proportion of capital goods and intermediate goods exports reached 76.7%. This proportion is 2.5 percentage points higher than last year. The change you mentioned is precisely the opportunity and motivation for China’s foreign trade industry chain and supply chain to better adapt to the needs of the international market and enhance competitiveness. It is hoped that countries in the world will return to normal production order as soon as possible, intensify trade exchanges, and jointly inject vitality into the world economy.
Li Xingqian said that from recent monitoring, about 40% of foreign trade companies’ newly signed export orders have increased year-on-year. It is expected that the recovery of external demand and the steady improvement of the domestic economy will continue to support the development of my country’s foreign trade. However, with the gradual increase of the base in the same period last year, the growth rate of foreign trade will fall in the second half of the year, and the development of foreign trade still faces many uncertain and unstable factors. The global epidemic fluctuates repeatedly, and the world economy is recovering fragilely. High raw material prices, shippingProblems such as poor logistics further squeeze the profit margins of foreign trade companies, and also affect the willingness of companies to accept orders.
Li Xingqian also said that the Ministry of Commerce is currently closely tracking changes in the foreign trade situation. Targeted policy measures have effectively reduced the overall cost of foreign trade enterprises. The Ministry of Commerce will use innovation as the driving force to firmly promote the high-quality development of trade, enhance the comprehensive competitiveness of foreign trade, make the foreign trade industry foundation more stable, development momentum stronger, circulation channels more smooth, and better serve to build a new development pattern.