China National Radio Network: Why does Zhejiang sit firmly in the "third pole" of foreign trade

Recently, the 2025 Annual Report of China's Foreign Trade has been released——
The total import and export volume for the year reached 45.47 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%, which is the ninth consecutive year of growth in China.
At the same time, various provinces have also successively released foreign trade data. In 2025, the total import and export volume of Zhejiang will be 5.55 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%. After Guangdong and Jiangsu, Zhejiang has firmly established itself as the "third pole" of foreign trade.
Yongjin Jun sees that the driving force behind foreign trade growth is accelerating: previously, it mainly relied on scale expansion, but now it relies more on structural optimization, moving towards green and new development. The traditional products undergoing transformation and upgrading, as well as the "new three" products of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics, together constitute the main drivers of growth.
Who is leading the way
The foreign trade performance of various provinces in the country can be divided into three categories.
The major provinces in foreign trade bear the heavy burden - Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Beijing, and Fujian, with a total import and export volume of 34.11 trillion yuan, contributed more than half of China's foreign trade increment and stabilized the basic situation of China's foreign trade.
The growth momentum of central and western provinces is high, represented by Hubei (18.2%), Anhui (17.3%), and Henan (14.1%), with growth rates far exceeding those of the eastern regions, becoming a new driving force for growth.
Some border provinces such as Xinjiang (19.9%) and Gansu (16.2%) have a small base and are accelerating their catch-up, possessing the potential for foreign trade development.
Guangdong is still far ahead, ranking first.
In 2025, the total import and export value of Guangdong will be 9.49 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. The acceleration of high-end industries, represented by high-tech products such as electronic information, high-end equipment, medical equipment, and electric vehicles, is a new driving force for Guangdong's foreign trade growth. By 2025, the export of high-tech products alone will reach 1.14 trillion yuan, which is also the first time that it has exceeded the "trillion yuan" threshold.
It is worth mentioning that in 2024, Shenzhen's total foreign trade volume will leap to the top among cities in China. By 2025, its high-tech product import and export volume will account for nearly 60% of Guangdong Province's total, making it the largest in the country; The export scale of measuring and testing instruments, 3D printers, automotive spare parts, etc. is the largest in the country.
The Yangtze River Delta region plays a crucial role, with import and export growth reaching 6.3%.
Among them, the most eye-catching is Anhui.
In 2025, the total import and export volume of Anhui Province will exceed 1 trillion yuan, becoming the only newly added "trillion" province last year, and the number of foreign trade "trillion" provinces in China will increase to 9. Behind this, automobile exports have made the greatest contribution - exporting 1.228 million vehicles (including chassis) throughout the year, ranking first in the country. Anhui has also become the first province in China to exceed one million vehicles in annual automobile exports.
Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai maintain their 2nd to 4th positions, with their total import and export volume accounting for over one-third of the country's total.
The export proportion of Jiangsu's mechanical and electrical products exceeds 70%, with outstanding advantages in the export of electrical equipment and ships. Shanghai relies on high-end equipment manufacturing to drive growth, for example, the export of high-end machine tools has increased by nearly 30%, the export of industrial robots has grown by over 40%, and the export of surgical robots has increased by 3.7 times.
How much does Zhejiang offer
Turn your gaze back to within Zhejiang province.
In 2025, the total import and export volume of Zhejiang will be 5.55 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%. Among them, exports reached 4.19 trillion yuan, breaking through the 4 trillion yuan mark for the first time and growing by 7.2%. Zhejiang's import and export volume accounts for 12.2% and 15.5% of the national total, respectively, ranking third and second in the country.
From the perspective of export products, the advantages of core industries and supply chains are highlighted.
The main theme is to transition from new to green. Last year, the export of green products such as "New Three Samples" and wind turbines in Zhejiang increased by 28.1% and 98.2% respectively. In Ningbo, the total export of "new three types" products reached 38.51 billion yuan, an increase of 76.3%, and industrial robots also became popular in the international market, with a significant increase of 113%.
At the same time, traditional industries are increasing their added value. Products such as smart locks in Wenzhou, smart toilets in Taizhou, and smart hardware in Yongkang are empowered by digital technology to increase export unit prices; The export of labor-intensive products in Zhejiang reached 1.23 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.5%, accounting for over 30% of the national share for the first time, reaching 30.2%.
The strengthening of the global supply chain position, with Ningbo Zhoushan Port as an important hub, has driven the export of high-end equipment such as injection molding machines and key basic components such as fasteners. Jiaxing's new chemical materials and Shaoxing's high-end textile fabrics have become important links in the international brand supply chain.
From the perspective of overseas markets, emerging markets have become the main players.
Zhejiang's imports and exports to the top two trading markets, ASEAN and the European Union, amounted to 869.07 billion yuan and 845.74 billion yuan respectively, an increase of 16.5% and 8.7%, respectively, making ASEAN the largest market for the first time. Imports and exports to emerging markets such as the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa increased by 3.5%, 3.7%, and 11.5% respectively. In addition, the import and export of countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road" exceeded 3 trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 3.19 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.7%.
Among the 11 prefecture level cities in the province, Ningbo maintains the top spot. According to Ningbo Customs statistics, the import and export of Ningbo City reached 1.46 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%, and maintained growth for 10 consecutive years. In addition to the top two trading partners of the EU and ASEAN, Ningbo's import and export to Africa grew rapidly, reaching 20.4%, and its import and export to countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road" accounted for more than half of the total.
Jinhua's annual foreign trade volume has exceeded the 1 trillion yuan mark for the first time, becoming the 8th "trillion yuan foreign trade city" in the country. Especially in terms of exports, it contributes one-fifth of the total amount and half of the increment to the province. In 2025, the city's share of non exports in Zhejiang Province will reach a historic high of 41.2%. As the main force, Yiwu's import and export scale will exceed 800 billion yuan for the first time in 2025.
How to explore the future
In recent years, the international environment has undergone profound changes and the world economic and trade order has faced significant challenges.
External demand differentiation, intensified trade protectionism in some developed economies, and increased uncertainty. Domestic enterprises are also facing dual pressures: fluctuations in commodity prices and rising domestic comprehensive costs; Some industries still have a trend of transferring to Southeast Asia and other regions.
Looking ahead to 2026, China's foreign trade will firmly develop towards improving quality, diversifying, and increasing efficiency.
Intelligent, green, and integrated products will form new growth points for foreign trade, such as digital economy fields such as cross-border e-commerce, green and low-carbon fields such as energy storage and photovoltaics, and high-end manufacturing fields such as ships and large aircraft. Eastern provinces need to accelerate their upward shift towards the value chain.
Market diversification will continue to advance. In addition to deepening the "the Belt and Road" and RCEP markets, the development of emerging markets in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, etc. will also be further accelerated.
New formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce, market procurement trade, and overseas warehouses will help more small and medium-sized enterprises lower their entry barriers to going global, and will also be promoted and upgraded.
Among these trends, Zhejiang has three advantages and opportunities——
Green and low-carbon industries have a foundation for development. Photovoltaics and lithium batteries have become the "new three" advantageous industries in Zhejiang and continue to grow; At the same time, traditional pillar industries such as chemicals and textiles are actively promoting green technological transformation to cope with international challenges such as the EU carbon tariffs.
Going global has a solid foundation. More and more Zhejiang enterprises are flexibly carrying out global resource allocation, keeping high value-added links such as research and development and branding within the province, while optimizing the layout of production and assembly links globally, creating an upgraded version of the "sweet potato economy" ecosystem.
Digitization and high efficiency form core competitiveness. For example, Alibaba International Station and AliExpress in Hangzhou have driven cross-border e-commerce to expand from consumer goods to intermediate products such as machinery and electronics. Cross border e-commerce is extending from transaction links to overseas warehouses, digital supply chains, brand marketing, and other chains, making the "digital brain" and physical logistics more closely integrated.