GUANGZHOU, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong branch of the General Administration of Customs announced on Friday that Guangdong's import and export volumes for the first half (H1) of 2025 hit historic highs, setting new records for the period.

Guangdong's total trade reached 4.55 trillion yuan (about 633.9 billion U.S. dollars), up 4 percent year on year, surpassing the national growth rate by 1.1 percentage points. Exports totaled 2.89 trillion yuan, rising 1.1 percent year on year, while imports surged 9.5 percent to 1.66 trillion yuan.

Since the third quarter of 2023, Guangdong has maintained positive growth for eight consecutive quarters. Trade patterns are increasingly optimized, with general trade accounting for nearly 60 percent of total import and export volume in H1 of 2025. Bonded logistics also saw double-digit growth, surpassing processing trade as import and export volumes climbed 14 percent to 912.62 billion yuan.

During the period, Guangdong had 130,000 foreign trade enterprises engaged in actual import and export activities, an increase of over 9,000 from the previous year. Of these, around 110,000 were private enterprises, making up 84 percent of the total, with their trade volume exceeding 60 percent of the province's overall figures.

Guangdong's trade partners have become increasingly diversified. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 1.79 trillion yuan, up 3.8 percent, while trade with Hong Kong, the European Union, Taiwan, Japan and the Republic of Korea all saw growth. Imports and exports with Africa and the five Central Asian countries -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan -- grew faster than the overall rate, rising 8.5 percent and 23.1 percent, respectively.

Guangdong's exports of high-tech and branded products continued to grow. Electrical and mechanical product exports rose 7.2 percent to 1.96 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly 70 percent of total exports. Meanwhile, exports of self-owned brands reached 655.27 billion yuan, up 11.2 percent.

Driven by strong domestic demand, imports of electrical and mechanical products rose 19.3 percent to 1.16 trillion yuan, accounting for 70 percent of total imports. Imports of consumer goods like food, cosmetics, and personal care products also saw growth. ■