China News Service:

Green and digital transitions represent new driving forces and emerging trends in foreign trade development. Could you please elaborate on the specific manifestations of these eco-friendly and digital practices in the current foreign trade landscape? What measures will the Ministry of Commerce take to further enhance green and digital transitions? Thank you.

Li Xingqian:

Thank you for your questions. Green and digital transitions are shaping the direction and future of international trade development, serving as pivotal drivers for innovation and structural upgrading in foreign trade.

In terms of promoting green trade development, Chinese foreign trade enterprises are at the forefront of global carbon reduction practices and actively promote the development of green and low-carbon products and services. In the design, research and development phase, Chinese foreign trade enterprises carry out green product evaluation and certification based on green design product standards, emphasizing emissions reduction, low carbon, and recyclability of the products. During raw material procurement, recyclable resources and degradable materials are increasingly used in foreign trade products. In the manufacturing process, Chinese enterprises actively participate in trading of green electricity and green certificates, strengthen energy conservation and carbon reduction management, and conduct technological process improvements, so as to reduce the carbon footprint of foreign trade products. Taking Zhejiang province as an example. In the first quarter of this year, Zhejiang's green certificate trading volume was equivalent to 5.94 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. In the logistics and warehousing sector, an increasing number of enterprises have begun to use new energy heavy-duty trucks and ships for transportation, which helps reduce carbon emissions in foreign trade transportation and delivery.

In the field of green development, we need to accomplish tasks in four aspects. First, we need to focus on popularization. We should provide training for enterprises, explain regulations, and interpret policies to enhance the green and low-carbon awareness and development abilities of foreign trade enterprises. Second, we need to build a platform. We need to provide a regular public service platform for society. Third, we should promote typical examples. We need to select typical cases nationwide and promote experiences and practices. Fourth, we need to foster cooperation. We should strengthen communication and consultations through bilateral and multilateral channels to expand the market space for green products.

In terms of enhancing the level of digitalization in trade, digital technologies are currently penetrating the entire process and various phases of trade, injecting new impetus into the development of international trade. In the production phase, traditional production lines have been upgraded and transformed with intelligent technology, significantly improving customized, low-volume production capabilities. In the marketing stage, digital technology helps our foreign trade enterprises accurately target customers, lower transaction costs, and enhance their ability to expand markets and cultivate brands. In the logistics phase, after digitalization, by using electronic trade documents, the document processing speed has been significantly improved by 80%, and the operating cost has been reduced by 30%. For customer services, Chinese foreign trade enterprises have been using remote supporting tools and conducting smart diagnosis, which greatly improved the efficiency of after-sales services such as preparing spare parts and distribution. In addition, we collaborate with relevant departments to promote digital upgrades in various aspects of trade, including improving customs clearance efficiency and providing more convenient financing support for foreign trade enterprises.

In the field of trade digitalization, we need to focus on four key areas. First, we should encourage more trade entities to use electronic trade documents and promote interconnectivity between enterprises on the document platform. Second, we need to accelerate the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a pilot zone for global trade digitalization and explore connectivity of digital infrastructure, rules and standards to speed up the digital integration of the entire trade chain. Third, we need to nurture leading enterprises in digital transformation, and provide digital solutions for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Fourth, we will leverage bilateral and multilateral platforms to strengthen digital trade cooperation with our trading partners, and jointly explore more application scenarios of digitalization in the trade sector. Thanks.

Xie Yingjun:

Thank you to all the speakers and journalists. Today's press conference is hereby concluded. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Xu Xiaoxuan, Huang Shan, Yan Xi, Zhang Junmian, Cui Can, Liu Sitong, Liu Caiyi, Li Huiru, Mi Xingang, Zhang Rui, Wang Ziteng, Wang Wei, Yan Bin, Yan Xiaoqing, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.