Yunnan gears up for stabilizing foreign trade amid pandemic

To stabilize foreign trade that is affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Yunnan province has recently formulated multiple measures to optimize the business environment, enhance trade facilitation, expand international markets, and above all boost business confidence.

Tea leaves are processed in Nanxiang Company.

Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce issued 12 measures to maintain growth of foreign trade in the back drop of the Covid-19 outbreak. "We will increase stimuli to stabilize the import and export of key enterprises, especially those that have close business links with countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Belt and Road," said a staff with the department.

Encouraged by the measures, workers at a Tonghai-based agro company in south Yunnan have set out to purchase vegetables. "We did not stop the export in the past months and our sales have been on the rise compared to the same period last year." Yang Wei, chairman of the company, said in an interview on March 23, adding that the company's cabbage and cauliflower continue to be sold to the Asean nations.

Kunming Customs officers visit businesses.

During the epidemic prevention and control, Kunming Customs officers stayed at key border gates, keeping their eyes on entries and exits. The smooth running in the stormy days was maintained by 147 officers in 4 batches.

At a trade-promotion company in the border town of Ruili near Myanmar, staff members are busy communicating with domestic suppliers, while scheduling the demands of various regions in Myanmar. Their deals are mostly made online.

Staff members are busy at a trade-promotion company in Ruili near Myanmar.

"Our ordered goods with a value 700,000 yuan will be shipped to South Korea on March 25." Zheng Changchun, general manager of the Yunnan Sunflower Biotechnology Company, said at an interview on March 23, adding another batch of cargos will be delivered to Japan in April.

Customs data show that in the first two months of this year, Yunnan exported produces worth 3.95 billion yuan, an increase of 8.5% year on year. Agricultural products accounted for 40.8% of the province's export in the same period.

Yunlong products are packed for export.

Source: Yunnan Daily; trans-editing by Wang Shixue