China-Caribbean trade grows rapidly in Jan-July: ministry of commerce

China's trade with Caribbean countries remained to expand at a rapid pace in the Jan-July period, with the total trade volume reaching 7.57 billion U.S. dollars, indicating an annual growth rate of 13.3 percent, said China’s ministry of commerce on Monday.

The fast expansion has reflected the tremendous vitality in China-Caribbean trade, said Lin Feng, director general of the American and Oceania Affairs Department of the ministry, at a press conference in Beijing ahead of the upcoming Ministerial Conference of the fourth China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum.

Briefing media on the last data released by China Customs on the country’s trade with Caribbean countries, Lin highlighted the steady expansion of bilateral trade in recent years. In 2023 alone, the total trade volume reached 11.8 billion U.S. dollars, marking an impressive 10-fold increase over two decades.

Notably from 2018 to 2023, the bilateral trade saw an average annual rate of 10.2 percent, showcasing the resilience and vitality of economic ties between China and the Caribbean region, he added.

At the same time, Chinese enterprises have launched a diverse range of cooperation projects in the region spanning various sectors including agriculture, processing, trade and logistics, making a considerable contribution to bolstering local employment, tax revenues and export earnings, said Lin.

China-Caribbean cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has also yielded fruitful results, according to Lin. 

"China's cooperation with the Caribbean region in the field of infrastructure under the BRI framework has also yielded fruitful results. By end 2023, 10 countries in the Caribbean region signed BRI cooperation documents with China. Chinese enterprises have initiated a batch of landmark projects and ‘small yet beautiful’ projects covering various sectors such as transportation, energy, housing and people’s livelihood, substantially driving local economic development,” said Lin.

Aiming to facilitate bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the Ministerial Conference of the fourth China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum is set to open in south China's Hainan Province from Thursday to Saturday. 

China-Caribbean trade remains rapid annual growth in Jan-July: ministry of commerce

The Chinese mainland's box office revenue for the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday season, including presale earnings, exceeded 200 million yuan (around 28 million U.S. dollars) as of 13:46 Monday, according to data from Internet platforms.

The top three films on the Mid-Autumn Festival box office chart on the Chinese mainland were drama film "Stand By Me", comedy "A Frozen Rage" and drama film "Like A Rolling Stone".

A total of 14 movies are being screened on the Chinese mainland during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which started on Sunday.

"Comedies are my favorites. I just like the feeling of spreading happiness among people," said a moviegoer in Beijing.

"I watched the 3D version of 'The Wandering Earth II'. Its visual effect is better and the overall effect is stronger. It has a complete story line," said another moviegoer.

Chinese mainland's Mid-Autumn Festival box office tops 200 million yuan