China's national trade promotion system issued more than 1.54 million certificates for trade promotion in the first quarter of this year, up 17.38 percent year on year, said the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Sunday.
The certificates include certificates of origin, Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission (ATA), and commercial certificates, among others.
Specifically, the total value of non-preferential certificates of origin issued by the system was 84.93 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 2.47 percent. The value of preferential certificates of origin was 16.12 billion U.S. dollars, rising 4.73 percent year on year.
"The figures indicate that China has maintained a sound foreign trade momentum since the beginning of this year. And we are full of confidence in achieving our goal to steadily increase the volume and raise the quality of foreign trade throughout the year," said Zhao Ping, spokeswoman for the CCPIT.
Moreover, 54,000 certificates of origin were issued by the national trade promotion system under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, involving about 1.67 billion U.S. dollars, up 18.56 percent and 2.38 percent year on year, respectively.
The rise in both the value and the quantity of certificates of origin under the RCEP has reflected that the free trade agreement has continued to release trade dividends, delivering tangible benefits to foreign trade enterprises, Zhao said.
The ATA Carnet is an international customs and temporary export-import document.
Certificates of origin are documents widely used in international trade transactions. The issuance of these certificates is widely regarded as a barometer of foreign trade.
China's national trade promotion system issues 1.54 mln certificates in Q1
Russia claimed on Tuesday to have captured another residential area in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkov region, while Ukraine said its forces are repelling the Russian attacks, according to the latest updates from both sides in the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its forces launched attacks on Ukrainian troops in three areas of Kharkov. It claimed to have repelled multiple attacks by the Ukrainian army on different fronts and to have caused damage to the Ukrainian army's manpower, weaponry and equipment.
The Russian forces also claimed to have destroyed a workshop used by the Ukrainian army for the production and storage of attack drones.
Russia's military also says its air defense systems shot down 26 Ukrainian drones and intercepted nine "Hammer" guided bombs.
According to Russian news agency TASS, Russian troops have gained control of the northern and western parts of the town of Vovchansk near Kharkov, on the border with Russia, and street fighting is ongoing.
Defense Intelligence at the Ministry of Defense in Ukraine stated on social media on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops used drones to detect and destroy a number of Russian military equipment and weapons in Kharkov, including Russian armored vehicles, anti-aircraft missile systems, artillery and communication equipment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine's counterattack is ongoing, and emphasized that the Ukrainian army is working towards stabilizing the situation.
During a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, Zelensky highlighted the urgent need for two sets of Patriot air defense systems in Kharkov and urged the U.S. to deliver a new batch of military support to Ukraine as soon as possible, according to the Ukrainian National News Agency.
Russia claims capture of residential area in Kharkov, Ukraine says it repelled attacks
