A freight train fully loaded with high-tech products is prepped for travel to Vientiane, Laos from Suzhou on Jan 11. [Photo/WeChat account: snd-szgxqfb]
The economic development of Suzhou New District in East China's Jiangsu province has shown strong resilience with the release of this year's first-half foreign trade statistics, local media outlets reported.
Statistics show that from January to June, SND’s imports and exports were valued at $22.43 billion, growing 10.4 percent year on year, with the total scale and growth rate both ranking first among all districts and county-level cities administered by Suzhou.
SND's exports were valued at $14.48 billion, up 13.2 percent year on year, while imports were valued at $7.95 billion, up 5.8 percent year on year.
The China-Europe freight trains departing from Suzhou, by simplifying declaration procedures and digitalizing the customs declaration process, have significantly reduced the logistics costs of foreign trade companies and brought high quality local goods worth a total of $30 million to Central Asia and Europe.
SND has worked out the first financing service plan for small- and micro-sized foreign trade and cross-border e-commerce enterprises in Jiangsu province since last January, meeting 86.42 million yuan ($12.79 million) in total financing needs.
The district has also seized the opportunities brought about by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership since Jan 1, including setting up the first cross-border e-commerce enterprise service center in Suzhou and reaching cooperation deals with 12 service providers and six key enterprises in SND.
