Guangdong's first quarter foreign trade performance shines with outstanding results. According to the latest foreign trade data released by the Guangdong Sub-administration of GACC, the province's total import and export volume reached an impressive 1.84 trillion yuan in the first quarter. This marks a new historical high for Guangdong's foreign trade goods, further consolidating Guangdong's position as a key player in China's foreign trade, with its scale and significance ranking first in the nation.

Since the beginning of this year, the global economic recession risk has been on the rise, with a slowdown in external demand and weak growth in major economies, posing sustained impact on global trade. How did Guangdong's foreign trade maintain resilience and achieve positive growth in the first quarter despite such pressures? According to recent interviews conducted in Guangdong, this success can be attributed to three key factors: strong enterprise competitiveness, effective policy implementation, and high-quality services. These factors have provided solid support for Guangdong's foreign trade to withstand external pressures and maintain its momentum.

According to a recent survey, declining external demand and insufficient orders are the main difficulties facing foreign trade enterprises at present. Despite this, Guangdong's enterprises have effectively navigated the complex foreign trade landscape by leveraging technology and innovation to develop new product advantages and tap into the potential markets, and have yielded significant results.

As demonstrated at the 133rd Canton Fair, high-tech, high value-added, green and low-carbon products have emerged as the new drivers of Guangdong's foreign trade export growth. Representatives from Guangzhou Feilisi Solar Technology Co., Ltd., one of the participating enterprises at the Fair, stated that their business operates in the competitive new energy storage sector. The company has increased its research and development expenses by 178.42% in the first quarter of this year and has exported its products to over 100 countries and regions.

At the Canton Fair, journalists observed that many Guangdong-based enterprises, like Feilisi Solar Technology are expanding their international market presence by leveraging their core technologies. An increasing number of Guangdong enterprises are proactively developing diversified products to meet the demands of emerging markets, including those along the Belt and Road Initiative.

Since the beginning of this year, Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and other related departments have introduced a series of foreign trade stabilization policies, leading to a sustained increase in business optimism.

On March 2nd, Several Measures for Promoting Stable Growth of Foreign Trade in Guangdong Province is issued. The measures are aimed at addressing specific challenges faced by enterprises such as insufficient orders, decline in traditional industries, and inadequate momentum in emerging industries. For instance, the government has proposed organizing 242 "Cantontrades Global" overseas exhibitions throughout the year to help companies secure new orders and expand into overseas markets, which will stimulate thousands of enterprises to explore overseas markets.

The recently released Several Measures to Promote Automobile Exports in Guangdong Province aims to seize the opportunity of high-speed growth in this sector and address the weaknesses in Guangdong's automobile export market. According to statistics, in 2022, Guangdong's exports of new energy vehicles totaled 71,000, a year-on-year increase of 4.3 times, with an export value of 8.83 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.7 times, demonstrating strong momentum.

In addition to favorable policies, many regions and departments in Guangdong province have also innovated measures to provide convenient services for enterprises' import and export activities, promoting the recovery of foreign trade. Recently, the first cross-border sea-air intermodal transportation project with direct access to the airside of an airport, the "Dongguan-Hong Kong International Airport Center", was launched and put into operation. China Customs also supports cross-border multimodal transportation to effectively ensure the security and stability of the industrial and supply chains.

广东首季外贸成绩单何以亮眼

一季度，广东交出了一份亮点纷呈的外贸成绩单。海关总署广东分署发布外贸数据显示，1月至3月，广东进出口总额达1.84万亿元。一季度广东外贸货物进出口总额再创历史同期新高，规模继续稳居全国第一位，在全国外贸大局中发挥重要作用。

今年以来，全球经济衰退风险上升，外需增长放缓，主要经济体增长乏力，对全球贸易构成了持续冲击。广东外贸何以承压而上，实现一季度正增长？记者近日在广东采访发现，企业拼、政策实、服务好，三大因素成为广东外贸保持韧性和活力的坚实支撑。

调查显示，外需下降、订单不足是当前外贸企业面临的主要困难。面对严峻复杂的外贸形势，广东企业依靠科技创新，拼全力塑造产品新优势、发掘潜力市场，取得了显著成效。

在第133届广交会上可以看到，高技术、高附加值、绿色低碳产品已成为拉动广东外贸出口增长的新动力。广交会参展企业、广州菲利斯太阳能科技有限公司相关负责人表示，企业所在的新型储能领域市场竞争激烈，公司今年一季度研发支出同比增加178.42%，产品已出口到100多个国家和地区。

记者看到，广交会上像菲利斯这样手握核心技术拓展国际市场的广东企业还有很多，越来越多企业主动研发多元化产品满足“一带一路”沿线等新兴市场需求。

今年以来，广东商务等部门新出台了一系列稳外贸政策，企业信心持续增强。

3月2日发布的《广东省促进外贸稳定增长若干措施》，针对企业订单不足、传统产业下行、新兴产业动能不足等问题分别拿出具体举措。比如，为全方位支持企业抢订单，提出全年组织242场“粤贸全球”境外展，带动“千团万企”出海拓市场。

前不久出台的《广东省促进汽车出口若干措施》，则意在抓住汽车出口高速增长机遇期，着力补齐广东汽车出口短板弱项。据了解，2022年广东新能源汽车出口7.1万辆、增长4.3倍，出口额88.3亿元、增长4.7倍，势头强劲。

不仅政策给力，广东省各地区、各部门也积极创新举措，为企业进出口提供便利化服务，助推外贸回暖。全国首个直达机场空侧的跨境海空联运项目“东莞—香港国际空港中心”近日落地运行。海关支持跨境多式联运，有效保障产业链供应链安全稳定。

来源丨经济日报
翻译丨刘佳慧
责编丨古司祺