2019年CRI 中国外贸出口能力强于预期（在线收听）

Latest figures are suggesting China's trade in goods rose by nearly 9 percent year-on-year in January to 2.7 trillion yuan.

Exports rose by 14 percent, while imports grew by 3 percent.

The increase in exports was significantly higher than forecasts had anticipated.

It's suggested the surge was driven in part by exporters hurrying to ship orders ahead of the Spring Festival, which started at the beginning of February.

Trade with the European Union increased by 18 percent, and trade with ASEAN countries grew by 7.8 percent.

Exports to the United States were up by 2 percent, but imports tumbled by nearly 40 percent.

Professor John Gong from the University of International Business and Economics said he's surprised by the surge in trade with Europe.

"The figure concerning Europe really surprised me. Exports increased by more than 20 percent in January. That's a phenomenal number. And it's really surprising to me that we can make up the losses with the trade with the US by increasing these exports to other countries, especially in European Union countries as well as in Japan and south east-Asian countries and ASEAN countries."

Trade with countries along the Belt and Road registered faster-than-average growth and stood at over 770 billion yuan.

Economist Hong Junjie, also from the University of International Business and Economics, said there are plenty of trade opportunities along the route.

"Our Belt and Road Initiative has had notable achievements, and connections have been established with more countries. There's a great potential for trade, and the facilities are improving, so the Belt and Road will continue being a shining light in economic development."

Private enterprises played a bigger role than before in cross-border trade, accounting for over 40 percent of the total.

The sector saw its foreign trade rise by 17 percent for the year and reach 1.2 trillion yuan in January.

Li Kuiwen with the Statistics Department at the Customs Administration suggested the private sector has become a new growth driver in China.

"In January, the contribution made by private enterprises to foreign trade growth was more than 70 percent. This shows that the private sector has become a major driving force for economic growth. More private enterprises are producing high-tech and high value-added products thanks to independent innovation. They're exploring new competitive advantages for boosting exports."

Despite mounting external uncertainties, government officials believe that stable growth in trade will continue into 2019.

Authorities have also vowed to further cut taxes in a bid to boost domestic demand.

But meantime, some experts are warning that the downward pressure on imports will continue until the pro-growth policies take effect.

For CRI, this is Guo Yan.

最新数据显示，今年1月份，我国货物贸易进出口2.7万亿元人民币，同比增长近9%。

出口增长14%，进口增长3%。

出口增长远超预期。

这表明，出口猛增的部分原因在于，出口商都抢在2月初春节之前出货。

中国与欧盟的贸易额增长18%，与东盟国家的贸易额增长7.8%。

对美国出口增长了2%，但进口下降了近40%。

对外经济贸易大学的经济学家龚炯教授表示，中欧贸易激增令人感到相当惊讶。

“对欧贸易额确实让我很惊讶。1月份出口增长了20%多。这是一个现象级的数字。我们通过增加对其他国家的出口弥补了对美贸易的损失，尤其是欧盟国家，日本、东南亚和东盟国家。”

同期，我国对“一带一路”相关国家合计进出口7700亿元，高出全国整体增速。

同样来自对外经济贸易大学的经济学家洪俊杰表示，“一带一路”沿线沿线贸易潜力巨大。

“‘一带一路’建设取得了明显的成效，我们跟更多的国家实现了互通，这个贸易的潜力也非常大。随着基础设施越来越完善，未来，我国与“一带一路”沿线国家的贸易将会成为持续的亮点。”

民营企业在跨境贸易中的作用越来越大，所占比重超过了40%。

1月份，民营企业进出口1.2万亿元，增长17%。

海关总署统计分析司司长李魁文表示，民营企业已经成为中国经济发展的新动能。

“1月，民营企业对外贸出口的贡献率达到70%以上。这表明，民营企业已成为经济增长的主要力量。由于自主创新能力增强，越来越多的民营企业能够生产高科技、高附加值产品。他们在为扩大出口探索新的竞争优势。”

尽管外部不确定性在增加，但政府官员相信，2019年贸易将保持稳定增长。

另外，政府承诺加大减税力度，扩大内需。

同时，一些经济学家也警告说，在新政策出台之前，进口减少的压力会继续增加。

CRI新闻，郭彦（音译）报道。