Hechi's foreign trade continues growth in Q1

In the first quarter of this year, the total value of Hechi's foreign trade reached 970 million yuan ($133.84 million), an increase of 35.6 percent over the same period last year, of which exports were 130 million yuan and imports were 840 million yuan, up 30.2 percent and 36.6 percent year-on-year respectively.

In the first three months, Hechi's main export commodity was silver, amounting to 32.98 million yuan, which was the main product that drove the city's export growth against the trend. The main imported commodity was zinc ore, with an imported value of 480 million yuan, an increase of 57.1 percent.

Hechi's bonded logistics and powerful supervision model has played an important role in its foreign trade growth. Since 2019, Hechi Customs has promoted the substantial increase in the import of bonded warehouses in the city by guiding key enterprises to expand bonded warehouses and tailoring the supervision model for enterprises' imported mineral products. In the first quarter of this year, Hechi's net imports and exports increased by 440 million yuan in bonded logistics.

Hechi Customs has also provided advice to deal with the decrease in exports of traditionally strong Hechi products, such as raw silk, bamboo and straw products, as well as toys. Suggestions include preferential policies offered by governments at all levels, financial services offered by financial institutions, and innovations by enterprises themselves.