Foreign trade volume in the Qianhai and Shekou Area of China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in south China's Shenzhen City has grown at an average annual rate of 22 percent over the past decade, rising from 71.2 billion yuan (about 9.97 billion U.S. dollars) to 536.7 billion yuan (about 74.06 billion U.S. dollars), according to Shenzhen Customs data.
The area now contributes over 70 percent of total foreign trade volume among the FTZs in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The number of enterprises registered with the customs authorities in the FTZ area has risen nearly 5.7 times to close to 12,000 since its establishment 10 years ago.
In the first four months of 2025, imports and exports in the area reached 171.05 billion yuan (about 23.60 billion U.S. dollars), up 13 percent from a year earlier — a record for the period.
Shenzhen's Qianhai-Shekou FTZ sees 22 pct annual foreign trade growth over past decade
The death toll from a crane collapse that derailed a passenger train in northeastern Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima Province has risen to 32, with the number of injured now standing at 67, authorities said on Wednesday.
The accident occurred on Wednesday morning when the construction crane used for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto the train traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani Province.
Speaking at a press briefing, Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Chaiwat Chuenkosum said the State Railway of Thailand expects to take approximately seven days to clear the wreckage and restore the track to normal operation while a full investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn earlier told reporters that he has instructed agencies to conduct a transparent, comprehensive investigation to determine the cause and prevent recurrence.
According to Thai media reports, the main contractor for the involved railway section is Italian-Thai Development PLC, which has issued a statement on the accident, saying that the company will fully assume responsibilities related to compensation and medical treatment.
Songrit Yoonsoongnern, a rescuer, said that rescue teams are waiting for some parts of the wrecked train to be moved before continuing operations.
"Right now, we are waiting for the cranes to secure the carriage and the crane above, and to remove some debris that is on the bodies. For safety reasons, we must wait until Italian-Thai Development’s cranes complete the operation and safety is 100-percent assured, before ordering rescue personnel to enter and recover the bodies," he said.
32 killed after crane collapse derails train in Thailand
