Pragmatism and Diligence, Courageous Responsibility in the Great Province | Changes and Unchanged Imports and Exports of Zhejiang People | Zhejiang | Zhejiang People

Zhejiang ranks fourth in the country in terms of economic output. In the first half of this year, Zhejiang's GDP was 3871.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%, an increase of 1.9 percentage points compared to the first quarter. Coincidentally, Zhejiang's GDP growth rate in the first half of the year was exactly the same as the full year growth rate in 2019, and the Zhejiang economy is accelerating its recovery.

Looking back more than 40 years ago, Zhejiang ranked third to last in the country due to its per capita resource ownership being only slightly over one tenth of the national average, and was known as a typical "three no" province. However, in just a few decades, Zhejiang's total economic output has jumped from over ten in the country to the fourth place today. More importantly, today's Zhejiang is undergoing profound changes in the driving force, efficiency, and quality of economic development, while its total economic output is steadily expanding. A country has its own national identity, and a province has its own provincial identity. So, what kind of spirit is engraved in the bones of Zhejiang people, driving Zhejiang to stand at the forefront one after another?

By changing and adapting, we can meet every opportunity in every corner

Zhejiang people are good at adapting to changes.

The market economy is constantly changing, so wherever there is business, there are people from Zhejiang. But Zhejiang people are particularly good at creating markets out of nothing. So, the opposite holds true: wherever there are people from Zhejiang, there is business.

Since the beginning of this year, the global economy has been continuously weakening, and the international trade situation has become extremely severe. Since April, China's total import and export volume has been declining year-on-year for three consecutive months, and downward pressure has significantly increased.

The dark clouds press down on the city without destroying it. Against this backdrop, the scale of Zhejiang's foreign trade exports has continued to expand for four consecutive months, as if fulfilling the saying, "Nothing can stop Zhejiang people from selling their goods to the world.".

January 8, 2023, is the coldest season of the year in Jiangnan.

Xiaoshan International Airport. MU7157, from Hangzhou, China to Frankfurt, Germany, is the first flight this year for Zhejiang foreign trade enterprises to fly overseas in search of orders. The suitcases of over 50 business leaders from Haining are filled with samples and product lists. Zhang Rong, the foreign trade manager of Xinshi New Weaving Company in Haining City, remembers clearly that they brought over 60 new products together.

"Two large suitcases were packed to capacity, averaging 23.6 kilograms each, exceeding the free luggage allowance."

Efforts were not in vain, and within the next four days, Haining Enterprise reached an intention transaction amount of 230 million US dollars with the client.

On February 2nd, the twelfth day of the first lunar month, it is still Xiaoshan International Airport.

The first investment promotion team led by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce for the Year of the Rabbit departed from Hangzhou and embarked on a 10 day investment promotion trip to Europe. When the plane takes off, there are still two days left until the beginning of spring.

"On that day, it was particularly cold in my impression, but everyone's hearts were hot. Finally, they could go out and run the market."

"We fly from winter to spring."

The spring river water warms the duck prophet. The Chinese economy is accelerating its recovery, and Zhejiang is one of the first ducks to enter the water.

Liu Ying is the Deputy General Manager of Hangzhou International Expo Center. She said that since the end of 2022, people have been paying more attention to exhibitions, and at most, she has to answer dozens of phone calls a day. "There are already over 100 scheduled exhibitions, of which approximately 40 are scheduled. The most anticipated international conferences have already been scheduled for 2025."

At a cable manufacturing enterprise in Jiaxing, sales manager Liu Jia took out several thick notebooks, with each page pasted with customer business cards she had collected from this year's Spring Canton Fair. On each business card, the needs of each customer are recorded in detail. She said the biggest surprise came from African clients, with about 20% of the over 200 business cards later negotiated.

"We will still keep in touch with those who have not reached an agreement. It is possible to make a deal in one or two years, and we cannot give up easily."

In 2023, the situation in traditional foreign trade main markets such as Europe and America has changed. Zhejiang is accelerating its exploration of emerging markets. In the first half of this year, Zhejiang's imports and exports to the Middle East and Latin America increased by more than double digits, while its imports and exports to Africa increased by 18.4%. The total proportion of emerging markets, including ASEAN, to the total import and export value of the province reached 43%. The import and export to countries along the "the Belt and Road" increased by 13.7% year on year, accounting for 38.6% of the province's total import and export value.

Under the new development pattern of domestic circulation as the main body and the mutual promotion of domestic and international dual circulation, the products made in China are getting better and better, and the business of Zhejiang people will also continue to grow.

Zhejiang merchants who actively seek change and love to tinker have sugar to eat

"Chicken feathers for sugar!"

After the reform and opening up, the "bosses" in Zhejiang walked the streets and alleys, starting from the small business of exchanging chicken feathers for sugar. With a keen sense of the market, they discovered business opportunities, seized opportunities, and turned each small business into a big deal, merging small commodities into a big market, and turning small workshops into big enterprises.

Braving the tide of commodity economy has strengthened Zhejiang's economic strength and created a unique Zhejiang spirit - the "Four Thousand" spirit. Only by "traveling through thousands of mountains and rivers" can we exhaust all opportunities for development; Only by speaking a thousand words can we seek all possibilities of cooperation; Only by doing everything possible can we find various ways to succeed; Only after enduring countless hardships can we see the rainbow after the wind and rain.

This is not only experience, but also wisdom.

Zhang Hanming is the head of an automotive parts company in Ningbo. His company, Haiwei Group, was originally a secondary supplier of parts for gasoline vehicles. In theory, with an annual output value of three to four billion yuan and a profit of forty to fifty million yuan, life should be quite comfortable. But as a Zhejiang businessman, the bloodline of being prepared for danger and unwilling to be plain is destined to awaken. Around 2019, companies had a premonition that new energy vehicles were about to become popular. Just as we were determined to launch new production lines and equipment, and enter the new manufacturing field of integrated die-casting body, in 2020, the epidemic began. The company held 300 million yuan in funds and did not live frugally, but instead developed a new technology. Is this really a big gamble?

"It's not about gambling, it's about taking a chance, daring to try, daring to innovate, only then can there be technological breakthroughs and gains in the future."

Over the past three years, the new factory has already been completed and put into operation, becoming a first tier supplier to several major new energy vehicle manufacturers worldwide. In June of this year, the factory invested and constructed by Haiwei Group in Mexico was officially put into operation, and its products entered the North American market in one fell swoop.

"As a company, if you don't innovate and move in a higher direction, you lose the space for development and survival. If you're not satisfied with pleasure and the status quo, what people say is that you love to tinker with things."

It is precisely with millions of Zhejiang merchants who love to make trouble like this that in the first half of this year, the transaction volume of Yiwu China Small Commodity City alone exceeded 100 billion yuan, reaching 112.653 billion yuan. Foreign trade exports also drove a year-on-year growth of 4.4% in industry, an increase of 2 percentage points from the first quarter, and the total value added of industry reached nearly 1.4 trillion yuan. The total export value of goods in the province reached 1.73 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.1%, accounting for 15.1% of the national export share, setting a new historical high for the same period. It is particularly gratifying that in the first half of this year, there were 3.213 million registered private enterprises in Zhejiang, an increase of 7.8%. Among them, there were 256000 newly established private enterprises, an increase of 12.2%, accounting for 93.4% of all newly established enterprises.

This year, Zhejiang has explicitly proposed to implement the "No.1 Development Project" for digital economy innovation and improvement, achieve a major breakthrough in the "No.1 Reform Project" for optimizing and improving the business environment, and implement the "No.1 Open Project" for upgrading the sweet potato economy. From the three key words of innovation, reform, and opening up, promote the continuous and high-quality development of the economy.

The spirit of unity of knowledge and action remains fresh and enduring

One land nurtures another people.

The Qiantang River is the mother river of Zhejiang. The surging tide of the Qianjiang River is well-known worldwide, and has also created generations of trendsetters who bravely stand at the forefront.

Afterwards, during his six years working in Zhejiang, he traveled to all cities and counties, and based on his understanding of the situation in Zhejiang Province, proposed a new work coordinate of "doing practical work and leading the way". This is a highly condensed reflection of the spirit of progress that the people of Zhejiang have upheld in innovation and entrepreneurship since the reform and opening up, and has thus become the essence of Zhejiang's development.

Zhejiang has changed.

But what remains unchanged is that the vast majority of cadres and masses in Zhejiang have a firm determination and drive to move forward along the path guided by the "88 Strategy" and to "draw a blueprint to the end", as well as the courage, wisdom, and action of the people of Zhejiang to persevere, face difficulties and hardships, and dare to be the first.