Following the double-digit decline in the first quarter year on year, our country's trade in goods exports rushered in recovery growth in April. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs on the 7th, our country's exports in April increased by 8.2% year-on-year.
Data shows that in April, our country’s total foreign trade import and export value was 2.5 trillion yuan, a slight decrease of 0.7% year-on-year. Among them, exports were 1.41 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.2%; imports were 1.09 trillion yuan, a decrease of 10.2%; the trade surplus was 318.15 billion yuan, an increase of 2.6 times.
From the overall perspective of the first four months, our country’s total foreign trade import and export value was 9.07 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.9%, and the rate of decline narrowed by 1.5 percentage points from the first quarter. Among them, exports were 4.74 trillion yuan, down 6.4%; imports were 4.33 trillion yuan, down 3.2%; the trade surplus was 415.7 billion yuan, down 30.4%.
From the perspective of trading partners, ASEAN continues to maintain its position as our country's largest trading partner. In the first four months, the total value of our country-ASEAN trade was 1.35 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.7%, accounting for 14.9% of our country's total foreign trade value. The total value of trade between our country and the EU was 1.23 trillion yuan, down 6.5%, accounting for 13.6% of our country's total foreign trade value. The total value of Sino-US trade was 958.46 billion yuan, down 12.8%, accounting for 10.6% of our country's total foreign trade value. The total value of Sino-Japanese trade was 665.68 billion yuan, down 2.1%, accounting for 7.3% of our country's total foreign trade value. During the same period, our country’s total imports and exports to countries along the “Belt and Road” were 2.76 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.9%, accounting for 30.4% of our country’s total foreign trade value, and the proportion increased by 1.7%.
From the perspective of the main body of the foreign trade market, in the first four months, the import and export of our country's private enterprises was 3.92 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.5%, accounting for 43.2% of our country's total foreign trade value, an increase of 2.3 percentage points over the same period last year. As the largest foreign trade market entity, our private enterprises have shown strong resilience.
Statistics show that our country’s exports of mechanical and electrical products and clothing declined in the first four months, while textile exports increased. Specifically, the export of mechanical and electrical products was 2.79 trillion yuan, a decrease of 5.9%, accounting for 58.8% of the total export value. The export of clothing was 205.1 billion yuan, down 20.2%. In the same period, textile exports including masks amounted to 261.3 billion yuan, an increase of 5.9%.
Zhuang Rui, deputy dean of the Institute of International Economy at the University of International Business and Economics, believes that the rebound in exports in April is a positive sign, showing the strong resilience of the Chinese economy and the strong demand for Chinese manufacturing in the external market. However, the monthly rebound in exports does not necessarily represent a long-term trend. The apparent decline in imports in April is worrying. On the whole, our country's foreign trade development is still facing a complex and severe situation, and the work of stabilizing foreign trade must continue to be strengthened.
