Zhanjiang customs announced on Jan 20 that the city's foreign trade value totaled 41.38 billion yuan ($5.98 billion) in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent.

Last year, the export value grew by 2.2 percent to 20.94 billion yuan. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), European Union (EU), and the United States were the three largest export destinations, recording a turnover of 3.38 billion yuan, 2.45 billion yuan, and 2.11 billion yuan respectively.

Mechanical and electrical products, aquatic products, as well as furniture were the most popular commodities in foreign markets.

Zhanjiang aquatic products are popular in markets. [Photo/gdzjdaily.com.cn]

The import value was recorded at 20.44 billion yuan in 2019, a spike of 18.6 percent from the previous year. Brazil, Australia, and ASEAN were the three largest import sources with a trade volume of 6.65 billion yuan, 5.17 billion yuan, and 2.37 billion yuan respectively.

The major import commodities were iron ore, coal, as well as aquatic and marine products.

Private sector enterprises continued to be the major driving force of Zhanjiang's foreign trade. Their import-export value grew by 5.6 percent year-on-year to 19.2 billion yuan, accounting for 46.4 percent of the city's total. The import-export value of State-owned enterprises increased by 13.3 percent year-on-year to 12.42 billion yuan, making up 30 percent of the city's total.