Ningbo Foreign Trade Shows Resilience at the Start of the Year

Ningbo Daily report (by Sun Jiali, correspondents Sun Yingping, Xia Liwei, Chen Hao) — On March 13, data released by Ningbo Customs showed that in the first two months of this year, Ningbo achieved a total import and export volume of 257.3 billion yuan, up 9.9% year-on-year. Exports reached 177.4 billion yuan, up 11.2%, while imports totaled 79.9 billion yuan, up 7.3%.

"Ningbo's foreign trade maintained positive growth in 2025 despite external pressures. This year's opening has once again demonstrated resilience, with the January-February trade volume hitting a record high for the same period—a good start," said a Ningbo Customs official.

Breaking down the figures:

General trade returned to double-digit growth, solidifying the foundation. From January to February, Ningbo's general trade imports and exports reached 231.25 billion yuan, up 11.9% year-on-year, accounting for 89.9% of the city's total foreign trade. Processing trade amounted to 14.69 billion yuan, up 3.7%.

Private enterprises increased their share, driving the main growth momentum. From January to February, Ningbo's private enterprises recorded imports and exports of 198.4 billion yuan, up 10.3%, contributing 7.9 percentage points to the city's total trade growth. Their share rose 0.2 percentage points to 77.1%, with exports reaching 148.09 billion yuan, up 14%.

Trading partners diversified, as high-level openness attracted broader engagement. From January to February, Ningbo's trade with the EU reached 46.92 billion yuan, up 12.4%, accounting for 18.2% and maintaining the EU's position as Ningbo's largest trading partner. Trade with ASEAN totaled 34.01 billion yuan, up 10.1%. Meanwhile, trade with Africa surged 26.5% to 16.01 billion yuan. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 127.35 billion yuan, up 9.3%, representing 49.5% of the total. Trade with Central and Eastern European countries stood at 10.62 billion yuan, up 4.1%.

New quality productive forces reshaped the "going global" landscape, with stability and quality gains evident. From January to February, Ningbo exported 105.22 billion yuan in mechanical and electrical products, up 14.2%, accounting for 59.3% of total exports. Notably, the "new three" (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products) saw explosive growth, with exports of 9.66 billion yuan, up 154.4%. Broken down: electric vehicle exports hit 6.82 billion yuan (up 312.6%), lithium-ion battery exports reached 1.89 billion yuan (up 36.4%), and photovoltaic product exports totaled 950 million yuan (up 24.9%).

Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of Ningbo Daily. The Ningbo Daily version shall prevail.