Fujian sees rise in Latin American imports

Fujian province's imports from Latin American countries this year have totaled 109.08 billion yuan ($15.47 billion) to date, according to Xiamen Customs, with Brazil, Peru, and Chile ranking as Fujian's top three trading partners, accounting for 83.7 percent of total trade. Imports from Argentina and Guyana have also expanded, reaching 4.05 billion yuan and 3.93 billion yuan, respectively.

Imports of metal ores and concentrates from Latin America totaled 59.32 billion yuan, accounting for 54.4 percent of the region's total imports, including 36.37 billion yuan for copper ores and concentrates. Agricultural imports totaled 24.55 billion yuan, with soybeans alone accounting for 11.32 billion yuan. Pulp imports rose 11.6 percent to 9.68 billion yuan, while crude oil imports surged 3.81 billion yuan.

Zhangzhou Runnong Trading Group Co, an importer in the local food supply chain, has spent five years developing an import system for agricultural products. According to Manager Chen Zemin, the company imported a 25-ton shipment of frozen flying fish roe from Peru this month, which has been well received, with further specialty imports planned.

To accelerate imports, Xiamen Customs has refined regulatory services, providing one-on-one guidance on inspection and declarations. It has expanded facilitation measures such as direct loading upon arrival and dockside pickup, while offering priority inspection and rapid release to keep a green channel operating without delay.