Growth impetus

Looking ahead, many institutions and analysts are optimistic about the prospects for China's foreign trade, and believe that China's economy will gain greater vitality, which will bring more market opportunities and development dividends to the world.

Chilean Customs statistics show that in 2022, Chilean exports to China amounted to $38.11 billion, accounting for 38.9 percent of the country's total exports. China has been Chile's largest trading partner since 2009, with nearly 90 percent of Chile's cherry exports going to the Chinese market.

"The Chinese market is so important for us," said Ivan Marambio, president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association.

After China eased travel restrictions for incoming visitors in early January, Marambio led a delegation to visit several Chinese cities to meet business partners.

"We are optimistic about the resilience and consumption vitality of the Chinese market and hope to achieve greater development through the Chinese market," he said.

In 2022, China was Brazil's largest trading partner for the 14th consecutive year. Last year, Brazilian exports to China amounted to $89.43 billion, accounting for 26.8 percent of the country's total, according to official Brazilian figures.

The deepening economic and trade partnership between Brazil and China has driven the development of Brazil's agriculture, infrastructure, science and technology, e-commerce and other fields, said Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luz Junior, CEO of LIDE (Group of Corporate Leaders) China, a Sao Paulo-based company that connects Chinese and Brazilian entrepreneurs, in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Bilateral trade has been hitting new highs, contributing greatly to Brazil's economic growth, and will surely boost bilateral exchanges in various fields, he said.

In a report released in January, the African Development Bank raised its economic growth forecast for the African region to 4 percent in 2023.

According to the report, after China optimized its COVID-19 response, Asia — as an important export destination for Africa — will achieve steady growth, thus expanding Africa's development space.

Ralf Klein, managing director of Harting Electronics Co Ltd in Germany, said that China has great market potential, and its economy has a huge influence on the development of German enterprises in China.

"We expect China's economy to grow faster," Klein said.

China was Britain's second-largest trading partner in imports and fifth-largest in exports in 2022, according to data released by the UK's Office for National Statistics earlier last month.

Gordon Cheung, a scholar at Durham University in the UK, said that driven by diversified trade demand, British exports to China have increased.

The British business community is actively promoting economic and trade exchanges between Britain and China, and bilateral trade is expected to grow further this year, said Cheung.

Xinhua