Guangdong strengthens trade with APEC

South China's Guangdong province has maintained vibrant trade with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies since the beginning of the year.

According to statistics released by Guangdong Customs, Guangdong's imports and exports with other APEC economies reached 4.27 trillion yuan ($636.23 billion) in the first seven months, exceeding 4 trillion yuan for the first time ever in the same period and hitting a record.

The figure represents a growth of 22.1 percent year-on-year, 1.6 percentage points higher than Guangdong's overall foreign trade growth rate for the same period, and accounted for 65.7 percent of Guangdong's total trade volume and 23.7 percent of China's total trade with other APEC economies.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, reached trade volume of 430.6 billion yuan with APEC economies from January to July, up 6.4 percent year-on-year, while the figure between Shenzhen and APEC economies grew by 33 percent year-on-year to come to 1.98 trillion yuan in the first half, hitting a record.

Shenzhen will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

Customs authorities at all levels in Guangdong have introduced a series of facilitation measures to encourage and serve local companies to further expand trade with other APEC economies since the beginning of the year, Guangdong Customs said.

From January to June, Shenzhen Customs issued a total of 181,300 certificates of origin for goods exported from Shenzhen to other APEC member countries and regions, with the total value of certified goods exceeding 48.3 billion yuan.

With policy dividends from freetrade agreements including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership continuing to materialize, certificates of origin are delivering strong impetus for Shenzhen enterprises to tap into APEC markets, said Shenzhen Customs.

James Ding, chair of the APEC Economic Committee, said China's commitment to opening-up and its attraction of investment from all countries constitute some of the fundamental drivers behind the trade growth between Guangdong and other APEC economies.

"The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has also injected strong impetus into Asia-Pacific economic and trade growth," he said. According to Ding, as the development of the Greater Bay Area moves forward, economic and trade ties between Guangdong and APEC economies will continue to deepen, boasting enormous growth potential in the following months, and it will also bring abundant opportunities for foreign enterprises to invest in the GBA.

Zhong Yun, vice-dean of the School of Economics at Jinan University, said the 2026 "APEC China Year" has brought additional dividends, including streamlined customs clearance, expanded air, rail and land routes to further expand trade ties between Guangdong and APEC economies, and heightened international attention.

Since the start of 2026, Yantian Port in Shenzhen has launched 11 new international routes connecting APEC member economies, with direct services to key ports including Jakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia. Currently 53 weekly routes from Yantian Port serve APEC member economies. Nansha Port in Guangzhou has also rolled out several new container routes linking APEC member economies spanning Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Oceania since the beginning of this year. By the end of first half, it ran 186 foreign-trade shipping services, with more than 100 routes serving APEC economies, bolstering the GBA's Asia-Pacific maritime logistics network, Nansha Port said.

Contact the writers at zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn