It’s rising and continues to rise. Guangdong’s foreign trade is doing great!
2024-08-14
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“I’m sweating!”
When talking about the foreign trade situation in Guangdong at the beginning of this year, I guess many people would feel the same way.
At that time, the world economy continued to be sluggish and its recovery was weak. Guangdong, with a foreign trade dependence of 64%, faced many challenges!
Foreign trade has always been the fastest of the three engines that drive the economy. Faced with this situation, it is inevitable that its speed will be affected.
Spring comes early in Lingnan. The chill in spring is only a short moment, and the "temperature" of Guangdong's foreign trade is rising day by day with the rising temperature, rising, and continuing to rise!
Freshly released data show that from January to July this year, Guangdong's total import and export volume reached 5.17 trillion yuan, up 13.9% from the same period last year, accounting for 20.8% of the national total, and hitting a new high in the same period in history...
A few days ago, when we visited Guangdong, we saw the following scene: Orders from various countries were pouring in, assembly lines were running at full speed, China-Europe trains were running one after another, and ocean-going cargo ships loaded with containers were shuttling back and forth...
Full of busyness and overflowing with energy, a touch of foreign trade "Guangdong Red" is flying across the hot land!
What creates this striking bright color?
Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Financial City. Photo by Nanfang Daily reporter Lu Li
Seize the commanding heights of development, cultivate new competitive advantages, and transform traditional productivity into new quality productivity
"Cool!"
Speaking of the big orders signed at this year's Canton Fair, Chi Xiaofeng, head of foreign trade at Zhaoqing Leoch Power Supply, could not hide her excitement, "On average, more than 50 customers come to consult every day, and some even bring Euros to bid on the spot!"
"We are in great need of solar cells locally. These products just meet our needs and we can place long-term orders in the future." An Ethiopian buyer who attended the conference for the first time could not wait to transfer the deposit after testing the Chinese batteries.
Like Chi Xiaofeng, many foreign trade professionals in Guangdong have keenly discovered that Chinese products that "others do not have but I do" are selling particularly well overseas, especially the "new three things" represented by photovoltaic products, batteries, and electric vehicles. In the first seven months of this year, enterprises in the Guangzhou Customs area exported a total of 10.13 billion yuan of "new three things" products, a year-on-year increase of 51.5%.
"Despite the complex and severe external environment, Guangdong's economy has withstood the test. We have adapted to the situation and responded to each challenge. Manufacturing is climbing to the high end of the value chain." Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the Academic Committee of the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, believes that Guangdong has accelerated the pace of industrial transformation and upgrading amid the dramatic changes in the global economic and trade environment.
3,200! This is the number of new patent applications filed by GAC in 2023!
In the 87,600 square meter assembly workshop, fully automatic intelligent production lines are rolling in an orderly manner, and pairs of robot arms are waving non-stop. "In the past, one car rolled off the line every 60 seconds, but now it's 53 seconds," said Zhang Zichu, senior manager of the GAC Aion assembly workshop, very proud.
The seven seconds saved were due to the optimization of the rhythm of hundreds of equipment. "The work content of 460 workers and 220 workstations has been adjusted," said Zhang Zichu.
In the first half of the year, Shenzhen's electric vehicle exports reached 12.87 billion yuan, up 51.7%; Zhuhai's electric passenger car exports grew by 225.4%...
Integrate scientific and technological innovation resources, cultivate strategic emerging industries, and open up new areas and new tracks for development... "Guangdong is actively making the first move to seize the commanding heights of development, cultivate new competitive advantages, and accumulate new development momentum in order to achieve the transition from traditional productive forces to new quality productive forces." said Chen Feng, associate researcher at the Institute of Modern Industries of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences.
"Our 'first move' is innovation!" said Wang Xinru, head of Dingtai Hi-Tech.
From being a "working girl" in an electronics factory in Dongguan, to founding a company engaged in drill needle trading, and then to leading the company in independent research and development, she has created a 20% global market share with "a needle".
"We have focused on the research and development of a needle for more than 10 years, and finally completed the localization and intelligentization of micro-tool production equipment and coating equipment. We were the first to break through 0.03 mm, and thousands of drilling operations without breakage or jamming - this makes foreign companies envious." Wang Xin's eyes are full of confidence.
How do I achieve “what others don’t have but I do”? It’s made with real money!
Say goodbye to the old path of competing for land, price and labor, accelerate the transformation to smart and digital, and drive transformation and upgrading with the overall improvement of enterprise production technology. In 2023, Guangdong will invest 460 billion yuan in R&D funds.
"A new growth point for Guangdong's foreign trade has been developed and has begun to take on a new role," said Wang Jian, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics. "With such high-quality products, there is no reason why we cannot open up overseas markets!"
"I am better than others", from OEM to brand creation, Guangdong merchants focus on high-quality development
Guangdong is a famous manufacturing province in my country. How can traditional manufacturing break through? The philosophy of Guangdong people is: Don’t worry about what others have, but be better than others!
Excellence means putting a lot of effort into quality.
"In 2023, the growth rate will be 15%!" said Xiao Senlin, chairman of Dongguan-based enterprise Ha Yidai Toys Co., Ltd. His best-selling "Four Seasons Little Flower Dragon" this year ranks first in online sales among zodiac toys in the price range of 100 to 200 yuan.
Xiao Senlin's company was founded in 1999. Initially, he made his first fortune by manufacturing toys for European and American countries. However, the good times did not last long. As more and more similar companies emerged, the profits were spread thinner and thinner, while labor costs were also rising.
What to do? He focused on creating his own brand to break through.
"Building a brand and designing products are a world of difference from pure OEM in the past. In our industry, few people are doing branding. If others don't do it, we do it! If we hold the brand in our hands, we will have the initiative in the market." Xiao Senlin sighed.
At the beginning of 2023, walking between the counters of a computer store in New York, Cheng Tianle, chairman of Shangrui Technology, smiled imperceptibly: "Look, business opportunities are coming!"
He came here specifically to investigate the market, and after visiting more than a dozen stores, he found that many products were on sale, so he was busy clearing out the inventory. The reason was that all of them were old models.
He rushed back to China and assembled a team to upgrade the old models. He added 100 new SKUs (stock keeping units) to one flagship brand alone. With more than ten new products under the same brand, his sales increased by more than 50% that year.
There are only sunset products, not sunset industries. Products that do not meet market demand should be eliminated. Only by rebirth and replacing the old with the new can a new market be created.
Sweeping robots are not new. However, the "Yunjing J4" produced by Shenzhen Yunjing Intelligent Innovation Co., Ltd. has become a hot-selling product online overseas. In Canada, housewives are proud to own a "Yunjing J4".
What makes it so popular? Zhang Junbin, the founder of Yunjing Intelligent, revealed a "trade secret": if you want to gain an advantage in the market competition, you must have your own "unique skills". Many robots always fail to take care of some places when mopping the floor. Through a series of technical research, they found a "bug" (defect) in the sweeping robot - there is a gap between the two round mops.
Once the problem is solved, the door to the market will naturally open.
In Guangdong, the pursuit of high quality is reflected not only in the production field, but also in all aspects of economic activities.
"They were sold out in 5 minutes!" On July 13, a lychee exhibition and sale titled "Lychees from Guangdong, Fragrance from Malaysia" was held in Penang, Malaysia. The person in charge of the Penang Guanghua Exhibition Hall was very excited. "It has been a long time since we have seen such a lively scene. People are pushing shopping carts full of lychees. There are not enough to sell, absolutely not enough!"
"A horse gallops through the dusty streets, and the concubine smiles. No one knows it is lychees." Keeping lychees fresh has been a problem since ancient times. "In the past, it was difficult to leave the province, let alone go abroad," said Lin Bo, head of Guangdong Zefengyuan Agricultural Products Co., Ltd.
High-quality preservation technology has now been mastered by Lin Bo and his team - that is the "cryosleep" technology.
"The main technology used is immersion quick-freezing technology with a fast heat transfer rate, which is 20 times more efficient than air freezing and twice as efficient as traditional liquid nitrogen freezing. It can extend the shelf life of lychees by at least one year, allowing consumers around the world to eat fresh lychees." said Cao Yong, professor at the School of Food Science and Engineering at South China Agricultural University.
American businessman Brandon was deeply impressed by Guangdong's excellent business environment and high quality of product sales. "Guangdong's cross-border e-commerce is amazing. On this platform, I can know in real time what the United States wants and how much it wants, and where in China it can be produced and made well. I am the first to taste the benefits of China's cross-border e-commerce!" This "China expert" actually has a Cantonese accent.
In the first half of this year, Guangdong's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports exceeded 420 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 71.4%.
Breaking the plateau and moving towards a qualitative breakthrough, Guangdong's foreign trade is full of vitality
Guangdong's foreign trade has risen sharply amidst difficulties. In addition to its strong economic foundation, it is also inseparable from the attentive "waiter-like" service of party committees and governments at all levels.
"We must work together with enterprises." On February 18, at the Guangdong High-Quality Development Conference, Huang Kunming, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, made this request.
8 measures to stabilize foreign trade and promote growth, 14 measures to integrate domestic and foreign trade, 8 measures to expand the UAE's Middle East and African markets, 12 measures for cross-border e-commerce... "In an external environment full of uncertainty, Guangdong's series of policy measures are precise and powerful, focusing on the concerns of foreign trade companies." Bai Ming, member of the Degree Committee of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, commented.
At the beginning of the new year of 2024, the staff of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Jinwan District, Zhuhai City, became busy. Party Secretary and Director Li Chengkeng led everyone to survey 333 enterprises, and the situation he got made him frown: 21% of the enterprises reported that there was a shortage of skilled workers and it was difficult to recruit people.
Job fairs were held, labor service stations were built... before long, batches of skilled workers from Xishui, Guizhou and Gongshan, Yunnan came in an endless stream to fill that "21%".
"Spring Breeze Operation", "Southern Guangdong Spring Warmth", "Finding Jobs in Guangdong" live broadcast of key enterprises... a series of measures have laid a solid human resource foundation for the "Southern Guangdong Red" foreign trade.
Seeing that the number of orders on hand was increasing, Li Yubo, head of Zhuhai Haiger Technology Co., Ltd., began to worry about the insufficient working capital in the company's account.
Difficult and high cost of financing are common problems faced by small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises.
Guangdong Rural Credit Union has timely launched the "Export Order Financing" business. With export orders, you can apply for financing, with the maximum amount reaching 70% of the order amount. These short-term RMB and foreign currency financings effectively support the production of export orders.
Now, the problem Li Yubo was facing was solved: "Finally, I can work hard!"
In recent days, barges from Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Foshan and Huizhou ports are "going out to sea" through Shenzhen Port. The branch terminals, which were originally limited by the insufficient water depth of the waterway network, are heading to all parts of the world with the help of the "Greater Bay Area Combined Port" model.
The "Greater Bay Area Combined Port" is composed of the "Shenzhen Hub Port + Branch Ports along the Pearl River". Import and export goods can quickly go through customs clearance procedures at the branch ports, realizing the 24-hour rapid flow of customs-controlled goods across port areas.
"We apply a variety of technologies in combination to minimize interference with the trade process." After completing one procedure, Lu Ning, senior manager of terminal customers in the business department of Shenzhen China Merchants Port (South China) Operation Center, hurriedly opened another order and breathed a sigh of relief.
"The procedures are much simpler!" The head of a Shenzhen foreign trade company that operates photovoltaic panels calculated, "The storage period of goods has been reduced from 7 days to less than 2 days, which can save 30% of the customs clearance costs!"
Customs clearance is only the first step for goods to leave the country. What if the buyer does not pay after the goods are shipped, or the local political situation is turbulent and the payment cannot be obtained?
"There is a policy-based export credit insurance policy! With it, we no longer have to worry about not being able to collect the payment for the goods." Luo Weixing, the person in charge of Zhaoqing Fengkai Laute Chemical Co., Ltd., felt relieved after attending the policy briefing.
To help small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises go global, at the end of May this year, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Commerce and the underwriting agency China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (Guangdong Branch) cooperated to launch a preferential service - policy-based export credit insurance policy. Qualified small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises can obtain export credit insurance protection of up to US$150,000. So far, more than 20,000 small, medium and micro enterprises in Guangdong have applied for it.
"The quantitative growth has reached a plateau, while the qualitative breakthrough is still in the gestation period." Guangdong made such an assessment at the High-Quality Development Conference a year ago.
Judging from the foreign trade situation in the first half of this year, the "incubation period" seems to be shortening. However, during the interview, the pragmatic Guangdong people expressed cautious optimism...
Since the reform and opening up, Guangdong has always been at the forefront. We firmly believe that with the pioneering spirit and unyielding tenacity, Guangdong will shorten this "incubation period" again and again.
Source: Guangming DailyGuangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Wu Ruonan
