Figure with markets related to BRI totals 6.65 trillion yuan, up 9.5% year-on-year
China's foreign trade maintained stable performance during the first three quarters despite trade friction with the United States, the latest customs data showed.
Looking ahead, the expansion of international trade will depend largely on the easing of trade tensions, which, left unresolved, may further dampen the global economy, according to officials and analysts.
Foreign trade of the world's second-largest economy recorded stable growth from January to September, expanding 2.8 percent year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs announced on Monday.
China's total foreign trade volume reached 22.91 trillion yuan ($3.23 trillion) in the first nine months. Exports expanded 5.2 percent while imports dropped 0.1 percent.
Despite slower global economic growth and rising trade protectionism, China's foreign trade has remained resilient due to strong domestic consumption, expansion of private businesses, tariff cuts and market diversification, said Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for the administration.
Li predicted that China's foreign trade will remain stable for the year.
The country's trade with the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China's top two trading partners, hit 3.57 trillion yuan and 3.14 trillion yuan, respectively, in the first three quarters, up 8.6 percent and 11.5 percent year-on-year, according to the administration data.
In the same period, trade with the US dropped 10.3 percent to 2.75 trillion yuan.
The administration noted the substantial progress that negotiating teams from the two countries have achieved in their latest round of trade talks.
"The two sides have discussed follow-up arrangements and a*d to work together toward a final a*ment. This will generate a positive effect on bilateral trade," Li said.
As for the next step, the administration is closely watching with other government departments, Li added.
The consensus on a preliminary a*ment reached in certain areas will not only enable manufacturers, farmers and service sector providers from both sides to regain confidence, but will also be effective in rebuilding global value and supply chains, said Ma Yu, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Both countries must demonstrate more willingness to reach an eventual final result, said Lu Xiang, a researcher on Sino-US relations at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Trade tensions between China and the US heightened uncertainty and forced businesses to cut productivity and investments not only in the two countries, but also in other parts of the world, Lu said.
Jens Puttfarcken, president and CEO of Porsche China, said the current scenario in the global economy is creating some volatility and uncertainty, and businesses need to take actions to ease potential impact from these uncertainties as soon as possible.
"We believe that there is no alternative to global free trade," Puttfarcken said.
In the first half of 2019, Porsche delivered 42,608 vehicles to China, a year-on-year growth of 28 percent, leading the rest of its global markets. "Despite all the uncertainties, we are optimistic about our sales performance in China," he added.
Due to the China-US trade dispute, the World Trade Organization recently lowered its projection for global trade in goods to 1.2 percent for 2019 from its earlier prediction of 2.6 percent made in April. This would be the weakest growth rate since 2009.
Wei Jianguo, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said that as trade friction did push some domestic and global companies to relocate their factories to India, Vietnam and other developing countries, China should be more proactive in further tapping markets related to the Belt and Road Initiative.
"The tendency will promote gradual 'going global' progress for domestic companies, helping diversify production origins, export markets and asset portfolios," Wei said.
China's trade with economies related to the BRI totaled up to 6.65 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2019, an increase of 9.5 percent year-on-year, which is 6.7 percentage points higher than the overall foreign trade growth rate during the same period.
Find more audio news on the China Daily app.
记者：钟南
播报：Erik Nilsson
【背景阅读】
挑战之下韧劲足——前三季度外贸形势观察
一分钟的工夫，有多少商品出入中国国门？14日，最新答案揭晓：将近5900万元商品。
海关总署当天发布数据，今年前三季度，中国外贸进出口总值22.91万亿元，比去年同期增长2.8%。全球贸易“寒意渐浓”背景下，中国交出了总体平稳、稳中提质的外贸“答卷”。
数据看点：太阳能电池“点亮”出口主力 进出口规模逐季攀升
“订单增长得太快了！”山东德州润泽新能源科技有限公司总经理王振锋没有想到，公司生产的太阳能电池获得欧洲TUV资质认证后，来自意大利、荷兰等国家的订单数量增幅喜人。
太阳能电池出口订单大幅增长的，不只这一家企业。据济南海关统计，今年前8个月，山东口岸出口1323.8万个太阳能电池，比去年同期增长200%。
海关总署的数据，进一步印证了这一趋势：前三季度，作为出口主力的机电产品出口增长4.7%，其中，太阳能电池出口增幅达55.6%。
太阳能电池的出口快速增长，是我国进出口商品结构优化的一个缩影。
海关总署新闻发言人李魁文当天在国务院新闻办公室召开的新闻发布会上说，今年以来，随着促进形成强大国内市场的系列政策落地，内需潜力持续释放，为我国优化进口商品结构提供了内生动力。民生消费类产品以及先进技术设备和关键零部件进口的较快增长，不仅更好满足了人民美好生活需要，也有力推动了我国产业升级。
分季度来看，前三个
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