Ningbo's foreign trade tops 100 billion yuan for 17th consecutive month

New containers at the terminal. [Photo/Yongpai App]

Ningbo's foreign trade continued to expand steadily, with its monthly import and export value exceeding 100 billion yuan ($14.82 billion) for the 17th consecutive month.

According to Ningbo Customs, the city's total imports and exports reached 906.04 billion yuan in the first seven months of 2026, up 7.5 percent year-on-year. Exports rose 9 percent to 623.32 billion yuan, while imports increased 4.4 percent to 282.72 billion yuan. In July alone, foreign trade totaled 134.76 billion yuan, up 11.3 percent.

Ningbo's markets continued to diversify. Trade with the European Union, its largest trading partner, reached 160.43 billion yuan, while trade with ASEAN rose 12.6 percent to 136.6 billion yuan. Trade with Africa and Latin America grew 19.6 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively.

Private enterprises remained the city's leading foreign trade driver, accounting for 78.4 percent of total trade. Meanwhile, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 360.3 billion yuan, making up 57.8 percent of total exports.

The city's "new trio" products — electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products — saw exports surge 128.3 percent to 41.36 billion yuan, highlighting the rapid growth of Ningbo's new energy manufacturing sector.

Meanwhile, Ningbo's imports of bulk commodities totaled 43.67 billion yuan, up 12.4 percent year-on-year. Imports of metal ores and concentrates amounted to 33.75 billion yuan, an increase of 15.1 percent.