Shanghai ports post 17 percent growth in consumer goods imports in Jan-May

The imports of consumer goods at Shanghai ports reached 326.1 billion yuan (about 45.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months this year, up 17 percent year on year, the local customs said Tuesday, Azernews reports, citing Xinhua.

Shanghai Customs said it had recovered to the level of the same period in 2021, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total imports of consumer goods in the country, which to some extent reflects a rebound in consumption in China's domestic market.

Among the goods, the import value of aquatic products and dried and fresh fruits totaled 10.95 billion yuan and 10.05 billion yuan, up 41.9 percent and 28.7 percent year on year, respectively.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport, a major cargo airport in the country, handled 22,000 tonnes of fresh aquatic products imported from January to May, a 1.2-fold increase year on year. The aquatic products were imported from countries including France, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Thailand.

Since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership came into effect, an increasing number of agricultural products, such as fruits from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have gained entry into the Chinese market. In the first five months of 2023, Shanghai's Waigaoqiao Port handled 488,000 tonnes of fruit imported from ASEAN countries, with a value of 976 million yuan.