A container ship berths at Shenzhen’s Yantian Port in this undated file photo. China News Service
The "new three" products, namely new energy vehicles (NEVs), lithium batteries, and solar cells, have become the main drivers of Shenzhen's foreign trade in the past 11 months of this year, playing a key role in pushing the high-quality development of foreign trade, according to Shenzhen Customs.
The total export value of electric passenger vehicles, lithium batteries and solar panels witnessed growth of 42.3% year on year, reaching 82.42 billion yuan (US$11.55 billion) from January to November, data showed. Among the total, electric passenger vehicles contributed 60.24 billion yuan in exports, NEVs contributed 19 billion yuan, and solar cells contributed 3 billion yuan, up by 19.4%, 273.9%, and 32% year on year, respectively.
Shenzhen has emerged as a global leader in the new energy vehicle sector, boasting a robust industrial ecosystem with key players like BYD taking a leading role.
BYD posted 301,903 sales of NEVs in November, which was a marginal rise from 301,833 units in October. Exported cars accounted for nearly 10% of the total sales last month, equating to 30,629 NEVs.
According to BYD, it has sold over 2.68 million NEVs in the first 11 months of the year, putting the company on track to hit its sales target of selling 3 million vehicles in 2023.
Shenzhen topped the list of China's top 100 cities in foreign trade in 2022 for the 30th consecutive year, which was released by the China General Administration of Customs last month, followed by Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, and Guangzhou.
Aside from Shenzhen and Guangzhou, Dongguan and Zhuhai in Guangdong entered the top 10, taking eighth and ninth place, respectively. Foshan took the 12th place.
Nationally, China's foreign trade landscape is undergoing a green transformation as traditional export categories, such as clothing and furniture, make way for high-tech innovations in the new energy sector, typified by electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells, according to Lyu Daliang, a spokesman of the General Administration of Customs, earlier this year.
Such trend is buoyed by growing global market demand and favorable policies, and supported by the country's supply capacity and strong industrial chain, he said.