Guangzhou's trade with ASEAN tops $20.5 billion in first eight months

(ECNS) -- With the upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and the signing and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), bilateral trade and investment cooperation has continued to deepen.

According to Guangzhou Customs, Guangzhou's imports and exports with ASEAN reached 146.4 billion yuan (about $20.5 billion) in the first eight months of 2026, up 6.6% year on year.

Guangzhou Nansha Automobile Port is the largest cluster of roll-on/roll-off automobile terminals in South China. Data from Nansha Customs showed that more than 360,000 vehicles were exported through the port in the first eight months of this year, up nearly 37% year on year. Of these, 67,000 vehicles were exported to ASEAN markets, an increase of 26% year on year.

Fresh agricultural products from ASEAN countries are also reaching consumers in China's inland markets more quickly through efficient logistics networks. During the January-August period, Nansha Customs oversaw the import of 175,000 metric tons of fresh fruit from ASEAN, up nearly 6% year on year.

As a major comprehensive hub port in South China, Nansha Port now operates more than 180 international container shipping routes, including frequent services linking the port with major fruit-producing regions in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Cambodia.

Bilateral trade is also becoming increasingly diversified, while cross-border industrial chains becoming more closely integrated. Many Chinese companies are taking advantage of ASEAN's geographic location to establish overseas factories, creating industrial chains in which components are exported from China and production abroad.

Guangzhou Guoguang Electric Co., Ltd. began expanding its overseas operations in 2019, establishing a production base in Vietnam, which has become an important growth engine for the company's capacity expansion and market development.

Luo Lijuan, logistics manager at Guoguang Electric.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. To support companies in establishing production bases in ASEAN countries, Huadu Customs, under Guangzhou Customs, has assigned Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) coordinators to maintain regular communication with businesses, identify bottlenecks in cross-border logistics, and promote logistics reforms such as the "One Port Pass" model, helping ensure the smooth export of production materials.

(By Gong Weiwei)