Exports face challenges; support afoot(2)

The APEC Business Travel Card is a travel document issued to business travelers who are citizens of APEC participating economies. The document eliminates the need for holders to possess visas when visiting other APEC economies, said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Apart from introducing its latest environmentally friendly products made of glass, reeds and grains to European customers, Yu said the company will actively explore emerging markets, especially North African and Middle East nations, as well as signatory countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership pact, to further diversify its sales channels in the years ahead.

Given the increasing risks of a global recession and a notable slowdown in external demand, Li Xingqian, director-general of the department of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce, said that the government will optimize existing trade policies and introduce new measures this year. This will help businesses cut operating costs and raise efficiency while stabilizing and improving the structure of the country's foreign trade.

Supported by Wenzhou's well-developed transportation infrastructure and geographic advantages, a total of 34 twenty-foot equivalent container units loaded with various exports, such as lamps, suitcases and auto parts, were shipped by train from Nanchang, capital of inland Jiangxi province, to Wenzhou on Feb 19, as part of the Wenzhou-Nanchang sea-rail intermodal express service.

These goods will then be shipped to ports of the United States, Thailand and Vietnam via various shipping companies through Wenzhou Port. This marks the gradual normalization of the Wenzhou-Nanchang sea-rail intermodal express service, according to the Wenzhou bureau of commerce.

Yue Chen, general manager of the Jiangxi branch of Ningbo Port Railway Co Ltd — the service's operator for railroad operations — said his company will intensify efforts to boost cargo volumes for the intermodal express service. It aims to ensure that the service can operate at least once per week.

Wenzhou had opened direct cargo flights to 11 countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Russia, by the end of 2022, while its regional sea shipping network covers a number of major ports in member economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Eager to promote its products in ASEAN markets, Quanzhou, Fujian, began running a textile and garment exhibition and sales center in Bangkok, Thailand, in mid-February.

The city plans to leverage its export-oriented industry structure and organize more than 19 delegations to go on overseas business trips in the first quarter, seeking opportunities and expanding global market share. Quanzhou's government has stated that more than 330 people from 230 local companies are expected to participate in these events.

Even though global economic downturns and uncertainties have created challenges for many countries in maintaining stable foreign trade and investment, China has responded by upgrading its industrial structure and further deepening its reform and opening-up policies, said Chen Jianqi, a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Governance).

According to the Government Work Report submitted to the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation in early March, China will take active steps to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and other high-standard economic and trade agreements, and steadily expand institutional opening-up by proactively adopting relevant rules, regulations and standards.

Yang Fan, spokeswoman for the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said as China's economy continues to recover and cross-border exchanges are gradually normalized, the CCPIT will host and participate in hundreds of trade and economic activities, such as exhibitions, forums and mutual delegation visits in 2023.

Yang said the CCPIT will organize high-level economic and trade delegations to visit the US, Europe, Australia, Russia, South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and other countries and regions this year. The agency had received 519 applications for overseas exhibitions submitted by 50 domestic exhibition organizers, in 47 countries, by late February.