From January to May this year, Quanzhou's foreign trade delivered a steady and progressive answer sheet: the city's total import and export volume reached 103.17 billion yuan, of which exports were 73.88 billion yuan and imports were 29.29 billion yuan. From March to May, Quanzhou's foreign trade achieved year-on-year growth for three consecutive months, 18%, 8.8%, and 0.5% respectively. In particular, in May, exports reached 17.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.5%, showing strong pressure resistance and market adaptability.
In Quanzhou's huge export structure, the stone industry performed well. The granite industry cluster with Shuitou Town as the core continued to grow. In the first five months of this year, the total export volume of granite stone reached 2.47 billion yuan, an increase of 8.7% year-on-year. As China's largest stone trade and processing center, Shuitou Town has promoted the stable growth of stone exports by relying on intelligent process equipment (such as automated cutting systems and intelligent warehousing and logistics) and an export model dominated by private enterprises (accounting for more than 90%).
The Middle East market has become a new growth pole for Quanzhou's stone exports. Data shows that in the first four months of this year alone, Quanzhou's total stone exports to the Middle East have reached 770 million yuan, a significant year-on-year increase of 56.2%, injecting stronger international competitiveness into Quanzhou's reputation as the "Stone City".
Overall, Quanzhou's foreign trade development presents four major characteristics:
**First, general trade dominates. **In the first five months, the import and export volume of general trade was 76.97 billion yuan, accounting for 74.6% of the city's total foreign trade value. Bonded logistics increased by 10.4% to 6.98 billion yuan, while processing trade increased by 12.8% to 2.59 billion yuan. New trade modes such as market procurement totaled 16.62 billion yuan in imports and exports.
**Second, private enterprises continue to play a leading role. **From January to May, the total import and export value of private enterprises in Quanzhou was 65.52 billion yuan, accounting for 63.5%; foreign-funded enterprises and state-owned enterprises contributed 29.81 billion yuan and 7.6 billion yuan, accounting for 28.9% and 7.4% respectively.
**Third, the market potential of countries along the "Belt and Road" has been released. **Quanzhou's total imports and exports to ASEAN, the EU and the United States were 24.63 billion yuan, 10.68 billion yuan and 9.65 billion yuan respectively, accounting for 43.6% of the total foreign trade. The total imports and exports to the countries participating in the construction of the "Belt and Road" reached 73.1 billion yuan, accounting for 70.9% of the total. Among them, trade with Saudi Arabia and Iraq increased significantly, up 19.3% and 79.8% respectively.
**Fourth, the export product structure was further optimized. **Textiles and clothing, footwear and electromechanical products are still the main export commodities, with export values of 35.5 billion yuan and 14.24 billion yuan in the first five months, accounting for 48.1% and 19.3% of the total exports. Agricultural products, food, granite, ceramics, etc. also performed well, with exports of 3.09 billion yuan, 2.95 billion yuan, 2.47 billion yuan and 2.22 billion yuan respectively, among which ceramics grew most significantly, reaching 35.8%.
In terms of imports, crude oil is still the main import category, with an import value of 20.94 billion yuan, accounting for 71.5% of the total imports. Imports of pulp, consumer goods and edible aquatic products also showed growth, up 3.8%, 23.4% and 73.4% year-on-year respectively.
In the complex and changing foreign trade environment, Quanzhou has demonstrated its industrial resilience and market expansion capabilities. The three consecutive months of foreign trade growth not only reflects the stability of the industrial chain, but also reflects the continued efforts of Quanzhou enterprises in structural adjustment and market layout.