Zhanjiang's foreign trade with Belt & Road countries thrives

Zhanjiang's foreign trade with countries along the Belt & Road Initiative soared to 9.4 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in 2017, accounting for 27.2 percent of the city's total import-export value, announced Zhanjiang  Customs on Jan 29.

The  Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was Zhanjiang's largest trade partners, with a lion's share of 56.4 percent. The most popular exports between the two entities were furniture, steel, electromechanical and aquatic  products.

Meanwhile, fishery is seen as a potential growth sector for Zhanjiang's foreign trade, as the country has recently further enhanced exchanges and cooperation with developing countries in this industry under the  Belt & Road Initiative.

A cooperative agreement worth $76 million was signed between the Zhanjiang-based Guangdong Evergreen Conglomerate and Egyptian government in 2017, and this is  one of the leading reasons for recent growth in exports.

Mohammed Sakleh expresses his gratitude towards staff members of Xiashan  Customs for their support in the project. [Photo/Southcn.com]

According  to the agreement, Evergreen will export the entire aquatic farming & processing industrial chain to Egypt, to help the nation tap into its abundant fishery resources in the Ghalyoun Lake area.

Backed by  Xiasha Customs, the project has seen more than 100 customs declarations submitted, and over 960 containers worth around $65.55 million make its way through the port as of January 2018.

These achievements have attracted the attention of more countries along the Belt & Road, as enterprises from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have contacted Evergreen for cooperative opportunities, said project head Mohammed Sakleh.