Just now! General Administration of Customs, make a strong statement!

Source: Securities Times website
On the morning of April 14th, the State Council Information Office held a routine press conference on economic data for the first quarter. Wang Lingjun, Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs, introduced the import and export situation for the first quarter of 2025 and answered questions from reporters.
According to customs statistics, in the first quarter of this year, China's import and export of goods reached 10.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 1.3%.
Among them, exports amounted to 6.13 trillion yuan, an increase of 6.9%; Imports amounted to 4.17 trillion yuan, a decrease of 6%. The growth rate of imports and exports has rebounded month by month. In January, imports and exports decreased by 2.2%, remained basically unchanged in February, and increased by 6% in March.
In the face of increasing external difficulties and challenges, various regions, departments, and foreign trade entities have actively responded to promote a stable start to China's foreign trade imports and exports in the first quarter.
In terms of exports, in the first quarter, China's export scale exceeded 6 trillion yuan, achieving a rapid growth of 6.9%, demonstrating strong resilience under pressure. Among them, exports to over 170 countries and regions have achieved growth. The transformation momentum towards high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing in China is strong. The exports of ships, marine engineering equipment, and specialized equipment increased by 10.8% and 16.2% respectively. New energy products continue to play an important role in the global green transformation, with exports of wind turbines, lithium batteries, electric vehicles, and other products increasing by 43.2%, 18.8%, and 8.2%, respectively.
In terms of imports, in the first quarter, domestic industrial production grew rapidly, driving an increase in imports of components and equipment. Among them, the components of automatic data processing equipment, ships, and marine engineering equipment increased by 95.6% and 52.5% respectively. The consumer market is steadily improving, with an increase in imports of some livelihood goods. Among them, the import value of edible oil increased by 12.1%, and the import volume of dried and fresh fruits increased by 8.3%.
In the first quarter, the import and export of private enterprises in China reached 5.85 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.8%, and the proportion increased to 56.8%. While the scale of foreign trade has achieved rapid growth, the quality of development has also been continuously improved. Private enterprises have achieved growth in imports and exports to nearly 180 countries and regions worldwide. Imports and exports to emerging markets such as ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America increased by 7.4%, 9.6%, and 5.2% respectively; Traditional markets such as the European Union and Japan saw growth of 7.1% and 4.8% respectively. Private enterprises have set a new historical high in the import and export of high-tech products, with a scale of nearly 1 trillion yuan, maintaining their position as the largest import and export entity. Among them, the export of industrial robots increased by 67.4%, and the export of high-end machine tools increased by 16.4%; Imported high-end equipment accounted for 25.6%, while surgical robots increased by 47.5%.
Data shows that in the past five years, foreign-invested enterprises have accounted for about one-third of China's total imports and exports in foreign trade. In the first quarter of this year, there were over 67000 foreign-funded enterprises with import and export performance, the highest in the same period of nearly three years; Import and export reached 2.99 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.4%, achieving growth for four consecutive quarters.
In the first quarter, China's imports and exports to the European Union amounted to 1.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 1.4%. The highly complementary and closely integrated interests of the Chinese and European economies have promoted the sustained and positive development of bilateral trade. ASEAN continues to maintain its position as China's largest trading partner, with imports and exports reaching 1.71 trillion yuan, an increase of 7.1%, accounting for 16.6% of China's overall foreign trade. The economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN are becoming increasingly close, and trade complementarity is constantly strengthening.
In the first quarter, the import and export of China and the countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road" reached 5.26 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.2%, and the scale reached a record high in the same period, accounting for 51.1% of China's overall foreign trade.
General Administration of Customs: Strictly implement various countermeasures against the United States in accordance with the law
Wang Lingjun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs, stated that the recent excessive tariffs imposed by the US government have inevitably had a negative impact on global trade, including China and the United States. China has resolutely implemented necessary countermeasures in the first place, not only to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, but also to defend international trade rules and international fairness and justice. China will steadfastly promote high-level opening-up and engage in mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with other countries.
Wang Lingjun said that the customs will resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, based on their responsibilities, strictly implement various countermeasures against the United States in accordance with the law, and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Accelerate the construction of smart customs and international cooperation, innovate customs supervision systems, continuously improve regulatory efficiency and service levels, promote convenient customs clearance for enterprises, and achieve practical results of better supervision, higher safety, greater convenience, and stricter anti smuggling measures to promote stable development of foreign trade.
General Administration of Customs: It is still the consensus among many foreign-funded enterprises to be bullish on China
Wang Lingjun stated that currently, foreign investment access restrictions in China's manufacturing industry have been completely lifted, and the transformation towards green, digital, and intelligent industries is accelerating. The market-oriented, rule of law, and international first-class business environment is also constantly improving, which will help foreign-funded enterprises fully demonstrate their advantages in China and gain opportunities in global competition.   Recently, the China Development Forum 2025 Annual Meeting was held in Beijing, attracting 86 formal representatives from 21 countries and a new high in the number of multinational companies attending for the first time. It is still a consensus among many foreign-funded enterprises to be bullish on China.
General Administration of Customs: We will firmly handle our own affairs and respond to the uncertainty of the external environment with our own certainty
Lu Daliang, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs and director of the Statistics and Analysis Department, said that currently, China's exports are indeed facing a complex and severe external situation, but "the sky cannot collapse". In recent years, China has actively built diversified markets and deepened industrial and supply chain cooperation with various parties, which not only empowers each other's development but also enhances our own resilience. At the same time, China has a vast domestic demand market and is an important rear area. We will steadfastly handle our own affairs and respond to the uncertainty of the external environment with our own certainty.
General Administration of Customs: The negotiations for the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 have been substantially concluded, and both sides will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity
Lv Daliang stated that we are connected by mountains and rivers, and have a long history of friendly exchanges with ASEAN. Currently, the China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiations have been substantially concluded. Both sides will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity, strengthen integration and interoperability in areas such as standards and rules, and jointly promote trade facilitation and inclusive development. We believe that with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides will usher in new and greater development
General Administration of Customs: In the first quarter, the exports and imports of private enterprises certified by AEO increased by 8.6% and 8.5% respectively

Wang Lingjun stated that the customs will resolutely implement the "two unwavering" policies, deepen reforms, innovate regulatory systems, and actively help private enterprises stabilize expectations, seize orders, and expand markets. Taking the AEO certification, commonly known as the "green passport" for global trade, as an example, the customs continues to increase its efforts in cultivating private enterprises in key areas, allowing more enterprises to clear customs "one step faster" and trade costs "better than others". In just three months of the first quarter, the number of private enterprises certified by Customs AEO increased by 116, reaching 2670. In the first quarter, the export and import of private enterprises certified by AEO increased by 8.6% and 8.5% respectively, which was 1.6 and 5 percentage points higher than the overall export and import growth rate of private enterprises.

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