The city of Zhanjiang. [Photo/gdzjdaily.com.cn]

In the first eight months of this year, Zhanjiang's total import and export value was 25.05 billion yuan ($3.53 billion), a year-on-year increase of 5.4 percent. Among them, the exports value was 12.78 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percent, and the imports value was 12.27 billion yuan, an increase of 10.1 percent.

General trade was the main type of trading, with the total value of imports and exports by bonded logistics and processing trade reaching 2.19 billion yuan and 1.96 billion yuan, up 30.4 percent and 16.5 percent year-on-year respectively.

Private enterprises were the largest import and export enterprises in Zhanjiang, with the foreign trade value in the first eight months reaching 11.75 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, accounting for 46.9 percent of Zhanjiang's total foreign trade. State-owned enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises achieved a total foreign trade value of 7.49 billion yuan and 5.75 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent and 7.7 percent respectively.

In the first eight months of the year, the main export markets of Zhanjiang’s were ASEAN, EU, and Africa, while the main import markets were Brazil, Australia, and ASEAN. The main export commodities included mechanical and electrical products, aquatic products, as well as furniture. The main imported commodities included iron ore, agricultural products, and coal.