The total import and export value of Zhanjiang reached 22.51 billion yuan ($3.4 billion) from January to August, up 28.2 percent year-on-year, according to the latest figures from Zhanjiang Customs.

Export value grew 28.3 percent to hit 14.11 billion yuan; the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States and European Union (EU) being Zhanjiang's major export destinations.

ASEAN was listed as Zhanjiang's largest export market with an export value of 2.84 billion yuan in the first eight months of 2017, accounting for 20.1 percent of the city's total export value.

The US took the second place with an export value of 2.83 billion yuan, up 43.8 percent and making up 20 percent in total.

Cargo throughput at Zhanjiang port reached 153.8 million tons in the first half of 2017, an increase of 14.6 percent year-on-year. [Photo/yinsha.com]

The import value of Zhanjiang rose 28.2 percent and reached 8.4 billion yuan in the January-August period with Brazil, Australia and ASEAN as its key import markets.

Brazil was ranked as the largest importer to Zhanjiang, with its import value increasing by 96.9 percent to 3.17 billion yuan, accounting for 37.7 percent of the total. Australia was in the second place with a doubled import value of 2.08 billion yuan compared to the same period last year.

With a trade environment that brings new opportunities and challenges, Zhanjiang Customs is carrying out the national customs clearance integration and shorten and speed-up the process.

The department provides multidimensional supervision by means of video surveillance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and custom supervision craft. In cooperation with large-scale enterprises, Zhanjiang Customs has launched a pilot project to process customs clearance via the internet.