If the Hat Fits...

Young women try on Tibetan hats at a factory in Zhanang County, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, on October 11. Making and marketing these hats have become a means of income generation for some poverty-stricken families in the county. products increased by 7.8 percent to 6.91 trillion yuan ($995 billion), taking up 58.3 percent of China’s total export value, GAC spokesperson Li Kuiwen said.

It showed the green development of foreign trade, reducing the exports of energy-intensive, polluting and resource-consuming products by 7.6 percent, Li said.

During the same period, China imported 336 million tons of crude oil, 64.78 million tons of natural gas and 24.59 million tons of refined oil.

The country’s overall import costs grew by 4.2 percent. Major bulk commodities, including crude oil, natural gas and copper, saw increases both in volume and price.

Li attributed the increase in imports to the government’s favorable measures, including tax cuts, policies to optimize the business environment and tariff reductions.

Trade between China and other Belt and Road countries grew 3.3 percentage points faster than the growth rate of China’s overall foreign trade.

To improve the business envi- ronment and facilitate cross-border trade at customs, China will further reduce customs charges, enhance the efficiency of customs supervision and accelerate customs clearance, Li said.