The weather forecast being broadcast by the Canton Fair, known as the “barometer” of China’s foreign trade, is cloudy, and China’s foreign trade will not pick up significantly in the next few months.
The first two phases of the 115th Canton Fair have ended, and the third phase, focusing on clothing, shoes and hats and other products, will begin on May 1. The order transaction situation of different companies is different. In the first phase, the transactions of electromechanical, mining, chemical and other products showed signs of improvement, but they have not yet fully recovered; in the second phase, labor-intensive light industrial products such as toys were affected by the continued rise in labor costs, etc. Affected by various factors, the transaction volume was not ideal. Some companies reported that overseas market demand is slowly recovering, the prospects are still unclear, competition has become more intense, and foreign trade business is difficult to do, but it can be done.
“The export situation is normal.” Wang Changyin, general manager of Guangdong Galanz Microwave Oven Foreign Trade Company, said in an interview yesterday that at this Canton Fair, the overall orders were in a stable state, with orders from the European and American markets increasing significantly, and the situation in emerging markets also improving. improve.
Wang Changyin said that in fact, the orders in hand in the first quarter were sufficient, but due to labor shortages, etc., there was a slight decline in microwave oven exports. The company is entering an adjustment period, increasing automated production and accelerating logistics speed, etc., through comprehensive transformation Upgrading to increase competitiveness, coupled with the recent depreciation of the RMB, which has helped foreign trade export companies improve their comprehensive competitiveness, companies have become more proactive in exporting, and exports are expected to continue to rise in the coming months.
Chen Shaolin, director of overseas sales and marketing of Gree Electric Appliances, told this newspaper that many customers did come to this Canton Fair, but it is too early to judge the recovery. It depends on the final order finalization. Air-conditioning products are affected by weather changes and other factors. Very big. Judging from the current situation, orders in different regions perform differently. For example, the Asia-Pacific region is affected to a certain extent due to exchange rates and other reasons, and the Ukrainian market is more obviously affected by political instability.
Data released not long ago by the General Administration of Customs showed that in the first quarter of this year, China’s total import and export value was 5.9 trillion yuan, and the export of mechanical and electrical products, which accounted for more than half of China’s foreign trade exports, fell by 8.8%.
A survey conducted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products at the current Canton Fair shows that export companies’ forecasts for the future market are stable and improving, with more than 60% of companies having an increase in orders on hand, and most companies expect the export situation to be stable and improving in the second quarter. , judging from the transaction volume, the brand exhibition area accounted for 50%. The transaction volume of Midea, Chigo, Haier, Galanz, Hisense Group, Hisense Kelon and Xinbao all exceeded US$400 million.
Du Yuanyuan, chairman of Dongguan Leiyang Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., told this reporter that because China’s household appliances and consumer electronics products have gradually caught up with Japan and South Korea in terms of technological innovation, many large purchasers in Japan and South Korea are considering Moving orders to China, Japanese and Korean buyers were particularly active at this Canton Fair.
However, although the transaction volume of major commodities in the first phase of this Canton Fair increased month-on-month compared with last year’s Autumn Fair, it still declined year-on-year compared with last year’s Spring Fair, showing signs of improvement in foreign trade, but it has not yet fully recovered. The transaction situation of the second phase of the Canton Fair is even less optimistic. The total transaction volume of the second phase of the Light Industry Craft Museum as of April 26 was US$5.70 billion, a decrease of 4.76% from the previous session. Enterprises report that product transaction prices are basically the same as in previous years, orders are mainly small and medium-sized orders, and the number of long-term orders in Europe and the United States has increased. At the same time, most of the buyers are old customers, while most new customers are in a wait-and-see state and will not easily place orders at the Canton Fair.
The second phase of the Canton Fair mainly displays products from traditional industries with thin profits. With a 10% to 20% gap in labor and high labor costs, the impact is even greater. Relevant personnel of Oppein’s foreign trade business told this reporter that export orders from Europe and the United States have increased slightly, but not significantly. Although the U.S. economy has recovered, real estate has not become popular, so the demand for furniture and other products has not changed much. The company mainly accepts customization Furniture export orders have been diversified, so the overall growth has been maintained to a certain extent, while other surrounding furniture companies generally report that export orders are not ideal.
Liu Ziqin, manager of the toy department of Zhongding Holdings Co., Ltd., told reporters yesterday that there was little change in export orders at the current Canton Fair. It is currently difficult to export toys, but under the situation of increasing costs, it is even more necessary to transform and upgrade. To gain competitiveness, without innovative products, profits will only get lower and lower.
During his inspection of the Canton Fair, Zhong Shan, international trade negotiator and deputy minister of the Ministry of Commerce, encouraged companies to focus on improving technology, brand, quality and services, and cultivate new advantages in foreign trade competition.
As of April 26, the number of overseas buyers attending the Canton Fair was 157,374, and the entire Canton Fair will close on May 5. According to the previous estimates of the Canton Fair, the number of overseas purchasers attending this Canton Fair is expected to reach 200,000, and the transaction volume may be the same as that of the previous session. This year, China’s foreign trade will achieve a growth of 7.5%.
