Market Union | Ningbo Mayor Tang Feifan Visited

On the afternoon of February 12, the Lantern Festival, Ningbo Mayor Tang Feifan led a delegation to conduct a research visit. President Tom Tang and Vice President Eric Zhuang warmly welcomed them.

Mayor Tang Feifan toured the East Area Workspace with the delegation, greeting colleagues working on the front lines of foreign trade. In the following symposium, he expressed deep concern about the impact of tariffs on foreign trade exports, specifically gathering insights on policy adjustments and optimization strategies.

President Tom Tang reported that our export business reached $1.954 billion in 2024, marking a 37.15% increase with total container exports at 107,800 TEUs. In January, exports hit a record high of over $235 million, which achieves a prosperous beginning to the year. While the uncertainty and intensity of tariff policies pose challenges to export trade, Chinese manufacturing sector benefits from a comprehensive industrial system and strong supply chain clusters, and thus the relocation of small commodity production bases takes time, providing us with adjustment room. The key lies in securing independent pricing power and maintaining core competitiveness. 

Daily necessities and general goods exports are a prominent strength of Ningbo foreign trade and demonstrate counter-cyclical resilience. We remain firmly optimistic about Ningbo’s foreign trade and Chinese export sector. Additionally, given the high demand for office and exhibition space among foreign trade enterprises, we hope that the government will provide stronger policy support for enterprises in purchasing and leasing office space along with developing headquarters centers.

Mayor Tang Feifan acknowledged Market Union’s achievements and encouraged us to further promote entrepreneurial spirit, explore new business models, and drive high-level exports with high-quality products. Facing evolving situations and challenges, foreign trade enterprises should remain confident, adapt proactively, and respond swiftly to global market trends. By enhancing product competitiveness and diversifying markets, enterprises can unlock new growth opportunities and hedge against potential trade risks.

Government departments must act as ‘guarding escort’ of foreign trade enterprises and provide robust services, establish mechanisms for handling and resolving demands and issues. Ensure that problems are resolved efficiently in a closed-loop manner, and effectively provide support and backing for enterprises going global. Through government-business collaboration, the path to high-quality foreign trade development can be further expanded.

The research visit was accompanied by CPC Member of Ningbo Government and Director of the NETD Administrative Committee Ye Miao, Director of the Municipal Tax Bureau Yu Guang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government and Director of the General Office Yang Fuyuan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Government and Director of the Port Affairs Office Li Zhigang, Director of the Municipal Bureau of Commerce Li Chengjie, Director of the High-tech Zone Administrative Committee Xu Yun, Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Reform Office and Director of the Business Environment Development Bureau Liu Xingjing, Director of the Municipal Government Research Office Zhang Jian, General Manager of China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation Ningbo Branch Zhang Juan, and Deputy Director of Ningbo Customs Liang Danhong.