Xiamen City’s trade with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rises in the first four months of 2022. According to an article by China’s Xinhua news agency, the city’s total import and export value with ASEAN countries reached about $7.74 billion in the first quarter of 2022, up 15.1% compared to 2021. Exports grew by 9.1%, while imports increased by 19.6%.
Focusing on the marble and granite imports from Fujian Province, where Xiamen is located, there is a rapid increase in marble and granite imports from ASEAN member countries. The graph below shows the trend of import value and quantity between Q1 2018 and Q1 2022:
Fujian’s imports of Fujian marbles from ASEAN member countries in 2018’s first quarter were about $5.2 million, with a % share of 1.5% of the total value and 2% of the quantity. In 2022’s first quarter, the import value exceeded USD 16.8 million, with an overall value share of 5.4% and a quantity share of 9.06%.
The rise in marble was driven by an increase in imports from Cambodia. In 2018’s first quarter, marble imports from Cambodia were zero, and in 2022, after a continuous and rapid growth, they reached $12 million with a total value share of 3.81% and a quantity share of 7.55%.
Granite imports are much lower than marble imports. However, they have recorded a continuous rise. In 2018’s first quarter, granite imports reached $59,000, with a 0.02% share of the total value and a 0.05% share of the quantity. During 2022’s first quarter, the import value exceeded $2.2 million with a share of the total value of 0.71% and the quantity of 1.63%.
