Chinese foreign trade firms step up efforts to stay competitive in global markets

Chinese foreign trade companies are stepping up efforts to make their products more competitive amid an uncertain global trade environment.

At a home appliance company in east China's Jiangsu Province, vacuum storage containers are being produced at a pace of 100 units per minute. The containers, favored for their ability to keep food fresh, are set to be shipped to markets in Southeast Asia.

"Compared with traditional food storage containers, ours can greatly extend the preservation time of food. While the conventional ones can keep food fresh for about two days, ours can maintain freshness for at least a week," said Lyu Pingping, head of the company.

While some companies have increased sales by adopting innovative technologies, others have focused on securing raw material supplies to maintain high quality.

In south China's Hainan Province, a coconut juice company has established a comprehensive "planting-processing-sales" chain to secure a steady supply of high-quality coconuts.

The company is also targeting key coconut-producing areas in Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, with its coconut grove areas spanning over 2,000 hectares.

In 2024 alone, the company imported over 200 million coconuts, with the import value in the first four months increasing by 80 percent year on year.

"We use the internationally advanced instant sterilization technology, resulting in a nutrient retention rate exceeding 95 percent. As of April, our product has reached 31 provinces and cities nationwide, making its way into major supermarkets and numerous chain convenience stores," said Huang Daoliang, head of the company.

The strong sales from Chinese enterprises have significantly bolstered the country's foreign trade growth.

"In April, the growth rate of China's imports and exports accelerated by 4.3 percentage points compared with the first quarter's level, with exports rising and imports reversing their decline, demonstrating strong resilience," said Lyu Daliang, director general of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

Chinese foreign trade firms step up efforts to stay competitive in global markets

The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.34 percent to 98.982 at 15:00 (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1606 dollars from 1.1583 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound added to 1.34 dollars from 1.3328 U.S. dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 157.74 Japanese yen, lower than 157.77 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar decreased to 0.777 Swiss francs from 0.7827 Swiss francs, and it declined to 1.3596 Canadian dollars from 1.3697 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar dropped to 9.1855 Swedish Kronor from 9.2657 Swedish Kronor.

U.S. dollar ticks down