In an interview with local officials, the city of Jinhua in Zhejiang province recently revealed that despite the complex external environment this year, its foreign trade has shown remarkable resilience and vitality. According to reports, the city has achieved unprecedented levels in imports and exports during the first three quarters of the year.
“Between January and September, Jinhua recorded a total foreign trade value of 655.54 billion yuan, marking a 12.5% increase from last year,” shared a representative from Jinhua Customs. “Exports alone reached 577.99 billion yuan, boasting a year-on-year growth of 14.9%. Notably, Jinhua contributed 35.4% to the export growth of Zhejiang province, leading the region in export contributions.”
During my visit to the production floor of Zhejiang Nupai Electrical Appliance Co., we witnessed all production lines operating at full capacity to meet the growing demand for exports. “With our stylish designs and advanced technology, our new bladeless air purifier fan has become a bestseller,” said Huang Jinsong, the company’s vice-general manager. “This year, our orders have doubled compared to the same period last year, and we’ve already scheduled production through March of next year. At the upcoming Canton Fair, we expect to gain an additional 300,000 to 500,000 units in orders.”
At the 136th Canton Fair, products from Jinhua companies garnered significant interest from both domestic and international buyers. “The recovery of markets in Europe and the U.S., along with the expansion into emerging markets, has provided favorable conditions for our exports,” the official noted. “In the first three quarters, exports to our top three trading markets—Latin America, the United States, and Africa—grew by 20.7%, 27.7%, and 12.3%, respectively. Additionally, our trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries reached 376.01 billion yuan, representing a 12.3% increase and accounting for 57.4% of the city’s total foreign trade.”
The city has also been strategically optimizing its export product structure, balancing traditional and emerging industries. “In the same timeframe, Jinhua exported 234.11 billion yuan in mechanical and electrical products, which made up 40.5% of total exports, marking a 12.6% growth. Labor-intensive products also saw a strong performance, with exports reaching 218.36 billion yuan and an impressive increase of 19%. Notably, furniture exports surged by 40.1% while plastic products rose by 21.1%,” the official highlighted.
Leveraging the advantages of its Free Trade Zone, Comprehensive Bonded Area, specialized markets, and logistics hubs, Jinhua is progressively establishing itself as a central hub for the importation of bulk commodities and agricultural products. “In the first three quarters, our import of agricultural products reached 29.43 billion yuan, growing by 23.9% and comprising 37.9% of total imports—a notable increase of 8.1 percentage points,” the representative added.
Private enterprises continue to be the backbone of Jinhua’s foreign trade, with imports and exports totaling 644.20 billion yuan—an increase of 12.3%—and representing a remarkable 98.3% of the city’s total trade value.
This year, the scale of market-oriented procurement for exports has been expanding, cementing its role as a vital engine for Jinhua’s export growth. The market procurement export value reached 354.21 billion yuan, up by 20.5%, surpassing the city’s overall export growth rate by 5.6 percentage points, and accounting for 61.3% of Jinhua’s total foreign trade exports, effectively driving an additional 12 percentage points of export growth.
