Guangzhou (TDI): Trade between Guangzhou and ASEAN countries reached 146.4 billion yuan ($21.9 billion) in the first eight months of the year, rising 6.6 percent year-on-year, as stronger vehicle exports and growing imports of tropical fruit supported bilateral trade, Guangzhou Customs said Thursday.
The latest figures highlight expanding trade links between southern China and Southeast Asia, with new-energy vehicles emerging as a major export category while fresh produce continues to drive imports through the region’s major ports.
On September 11, a roll-on/roll-off vessel carrying 2,770 Chinese-made new-energy vehicles departed from the automobile terminal at Nansha Port for Thailand, Vietnam and other ASEAN destinations following customs clearance, according to China Daily.
Nansha Customs said vehicle exports through the port exceeded 360,000 units between January and August, an increase of nearly 37 percent from the same period last year. Exports to ASEAN alone reached 67,000 vehicles, up 26 percent year-on-year.
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“Vehicle exports to ASEAN have been on the rise since the beginning of the year, with double-digit growth for four months running,” said Lu Chunrong, assistant general manager of Guangzhou Port Nansha Automobile Terminal Co.
She said new-energy vehicles accounted for more than 90 percent of the vehicles shipped to ASEAN, while the fastest voyages from Nansha to destinations including Indonesia and Thailand take about three days.
Trade growth has also been supported by increasing imports of agricultural products from ASEAN markets. Around 55 metric tons of fresh Thai pomelos arrived at Nansha Port on September 9 before being cleared and distributed to supermarkets across China.
During the first eight months of the year, Nansha Customs processed about 175,000 metric tons of fresh fruit imported from ASEAN countries, marking an increase of nearly 6 percent year-on-year. Durian, coconut and banana were the three largest fruit categories by volume.
Nansha Port currently operates more than 180 international liner services and has developed an integrated logistics network covering direct procurement at the source, customs clearance and cold-chain distribution across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
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The system has strengthened Nansha’s role as a major gateway for tropical fruit imports from Southeast Asia into southern China.
The latest trade figures reflect the continued expansion of supply-chain and commercial links between Guangzhou and ASEAN, with both manufactured goods and agricultural products contributing to the growth in bilateral trade.
