The busy Guoyuan port in Liangjiang. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

In the first half of 2022, Liangjiang New Area in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality posted more than 160 billion yuan ($23.66 billion) in foreign trade, a surge of nearly 18 percent.

General trade increased by 22 percent and accounted for a higher portion of total foreign trade. This indicates that the import and export structure of the new area is being optimized, and that local industrial supporting product quality and foreign trade competitiveness have been improved. Meanwhile, the pull of foreign trade on the regional economy has been enhanced.

Over the same period, Liangjiang's processing trade exports and imports were valued at more than 67 billion yuan, with the growth rate exceeding 12 percent. Foreign trade of automobiles and auto spare parts came in at nearly 10 billion yuan, up 20 percent year-on-year.

Automobiles and electronic information are the new area's two backbone industries. And as China's policy measures for economic stabilization begin to take effect, local foreign trade market players will be further encouraged.

For example, Changan's passenger vehicle sales in overseas markets have risen, especially in South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The company has sold 83,231 cars to foreign customers since the beginning of this year.

Meanwhile, open channels such as the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, China-Europe (Chengdu-Chongqing) freight trains, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor continue to help Chongqing integrate into the dual circulation development paradigm.