Import & export commodity insight in the first half of 2022

Insight into China's Import and Export Commodity Structure in the First Half of 2022 

The Export and Import Major Commodity Volume and Value Tables, which are monthly data from the General Administration of Customs, cover the import and export volumes and amounts of nearly 200 commodities. 

China's exports in the first half of the year mainly reflected the upward trend of global agricultural and energy prices, the sharp increase in demand for new energy equipment and new energy vehicles, the slowdown in housing construction and investment after overseas interest rate hikes, the decline in demand for medicine after the recovery of service consumption after the "coexistence with the epidemic", the slowdown in demand for consumer electronics in recent years, and the acceleration of industry chain reconstruction. Mainly reflects the domestic epidemic epidemic caused by the decline in demand for optional consumer goods, the Yangtze River Delta electronics and automotive industry chain of short-term stagnation, as well as the impact of the policy of supply and price stability.

It is between the import and export of many commodities that the Chinese economy has completed the exchange of materials, energy and information with the world, realizing the double cycle of domestic and foreign.

China's exports still maintained a high growth rate in the first half of 2022, with structural features in five main areas：

 1. driven by the upward trend of global commodity prices, the growth rate of exports of agricultural products, industrial metals, basic organic chemicals and other commodities is generally high. Among them, agricultural products, basic organic chemicals exports accelerated compared to last year; but steel exports fell significantly compared to last year, probably reflecting the fall in investment demand after interest rate hikes in many overseas countries.

2. After the overseas interest rate hike, real estate construction and fixed asset investment were affected. In addition to the reduction of steel exports, the exports of furniture and its parts, household appliances, lighting and other commodities related to real estate also decreased, especially household appliances had a negative year-on-year volume and price. 

3. Many overseas countries chose to "live with the epidemic", and travel and social services tended to recover, as shown by the high growth rate of exports of bags and toys; however, at the same time, the exports of medical materials and drugs, medical instruments and apparatus all showed negative year-on-year values. 

4. driven by the accelerated adjustment of global energy structure, the export of automobiles, especially electric vehicles, as well as storage batteries and electrical control devices, maintained a high boom. Among them, the export growth rate of electric vehicles exceeded 100%. 5.

5. Although the export of computers, cell phones and household appliances declined in the first half of the year, the export of electronic components maintained a high growth rate of more than 20%, mainly driven by solar cells, with an export growth rate of more than 100%; in addition, the export of central processing components and LCD monitors also showed a high boom.

The commodity categories accounting for the largest share of China's imports in the first half of the year continued to be electronic components, energy, metals and minerals, agricultural products, and optional consumer goods (including automobiles, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, etc.), with marginal changes in three areas：

1. driven by the upward trend of global primary product prices, energy imports grew significantly; among agricultural products, grain imports grew at a higher rate, and meat imports were therefore negative year-on-year due to the domestic pig surplus; among metals and their minerals, steel imports were sluggish and iron ore imports dropped significantly year-on-year.

2. domestic epidemic epidemic led to a significant decline in imports of consumer goods. Among them, passenger cars, computers and their parts; plastics and plastic products, beauty cosmetics and toiletries, wood and its products, pulp and paper products, instruments and apparatus have declined year-on-year, only a small increase in pharmaceutical materials and drugs.

3. The Yangtze River Delta electronics, automotive and other industrial chains of short-term stagnation, resulting in the first half of the proportion of imports of electronic components accounted for 17.9% of the year-on-year growth of 4.6%, the import of related semiconductor manufacturing equipment fell 10.5%, in addition to the import of automotive parts fell 17.7%, compared to the previous two years of high growth rate difference is obvious.