Foreign Trade Updates
On May 5th, Yantai Port dispatched domestic construction vehicles to Guinea via China-Africa liner. As a major China-Africa trade port, it has over 20 African routes transporting 200+ goods categories. Yantai Customs innovated supervision to boost efficiency, helping enterprises like Yantai Xingye Machinery double exports since 2026.
more
China's first quarter 2026 outward direct investment hit 309.45b yuan (+5.4%), non-financial investment in 140 countries/regions was 232.86b yuan, Belt and Road investment reached 61.27b yuan, foreign contracted engineering turnover was 259.35b yuan (+5.7%), and 96k laborers were dispatched overseas.
more
On May 1, 2026, China implemented zero tariffs on African countries with diplomatic relations. Shenzhen Bay Customs cleared the first 24-ton fresh South African apples shipment, cutting import costs. Shenzhen Customs supported smooth implementation, benefiting enterprises and boosting China-Africa trade.
more
Against global climate governance and trade rule changes, China's green trade faces bottlenecks (inconsistent carbon standards, insufficient financial/tax support, poor institutional connection). Solutions involve building standard systems, innovating financial/tax policies, and strengthening institutional collaboration to advance green trade.
more
Yanshi District (Henan, China) exports textile shoes, three-wheeled motorcycles, and knitted goods to Central Asia, Africa etc., driven by complete industrial clusters, competitive quality-price ratio, and flexible production, with growing overseas sales (e.g., tricycles 35% growth).
more
The Mercosur-EU Free Trade Agreement temporarily took effect on May 1, 2026, after 25 years of negotiations. Covering 720 million people and $22 trillion GDP, it cancels some tariffs, aims for trade diversification/strategic autonomy from the US, and boosts growth/employment—though facing EU internal opposition and ECJ review.
more
The 139th Canton Fair closed on May 5, attracting 314,000 overseas buyers from 220 countries. It reflects China's opportunities, strong industrial supply chains, enterprises' innovation, and high-level opening up, showing resilience of China's foreign trade and economy.
more
In 2026, Fuzhou Port Jiangyin Area's vehicle exports exceeded 20k (surpassing last year's total) as of April 30. The port is a key southeast export hub with efficient RO-RO operations; Fujian's auto exports grew 26.1% YoY in Q1, supported by customs measures and market-adapted models (e.g., Chery Jetour for Middle East).
more
Yiwu goods increasingly export via Ningbo Port through the Yiwu-Ningbo Zhoushan Grand Passage, with customs innovations (inspection before shipment, intelligent tracking) boosting efficiency. Yiwu’s Q1 2026 exports reached 178.61b yuan (+21.3% YoY), 60% via Ningbo, while sea-rail intermodal shipments rose 115.6% YoY to 76k TEUs.
more
In Q1 2026, Ningbo's import/export with Central and Eastern European countries reached 14.5b yuan (up 8% QoQ). Ningbo Customs used measures like early declaration, tariff preferences and digital services to boost cooperation, with examples like Serbia FTA certificates and growing agricultural imports.
more
Hebei's Q1 2026 import/export hit a historical high of 184.9B yuan (35.8% YoY growth) per Shijiazhuang Customs. It featured diversified trade modes, expanded opening-up (Belt and Road, emerging markets), new export momentum (mechanical, high-tech products), and diversified resource imports.
more
In Q1, Harbin area of Heilongjiang FTZ recorded 5.43B yuan imports/exports (up 94.9%). General trade dominated (95.6%), private enterprises (88% of entities) contributed 93.7%. Bingcheng Customs took measures to drive growth.
more