Guangdong import-export trade grows significantly in April

Guangdong province in South China recorded an import-export volume of 575.69 billion yuan ($84.66 billion) in April, Guangdong customs said on Sunday.

The figure represents a six percent increase on the previous month.

Guangdong's foreign trade will continue to build momentum in the remaining months of the year, when the central government introduces preferential policies and measures, including tax reductions, said the Guangdong customs statement.

The province's imports grew by 8.5 percent to 235.63 billion yuan in April, reversing the downward trend of March and February, according to the statement.

Guangdong's exports hit 340.05 billion yuan in April, up 4.4 percent, said the statement.

April's rebound helped Guangdong, China's biggest foreign trader, reach an import and export volume of more than 2.12 trillion yuan in the first four months of this year, up 0.8 percent year-on-year, ending the province's foreign trade decline in the first quarter, said the statement.

Guangdong's foreign trade volume accounted for 22.3 percent of the national total between January and April, said the statement.

The province sold 1.27 trillion yuan worth of products abroad in the first four months, up 2.4 percent year-on-year, while imports reached 857.34 billion yuan, a reduction of 1.5 percent.

The province, considered the window of the China's reform and opening-up, had a foreign trade surplus of 407.73 billion yuan in the four months ending April.

The processing industry's foreign trade reached 698.48 billion yuan, a year-on-year reduction of 7.7 percent.

The province's foreign e-commerce industry however recorded a significant increase of 62.2 percent to 23.7 billion yuan in the first four months, said the statement.

Privately run companies' foreign trade reached 1.07 trillion yuan, up 5.4 percent and representing 50.2 percent of the province's total.