According to Changzhou Customs, from January to July, the total export and import value in Changzhou recorded 167.05 billion yuan, up 28.6% compared to the same period last year. The foreign trade volume in July was 24.52 billion yuan, increasing 20% year-on-year, a positive growth for the 12th consecutive month since August 2020.

The top three trading partners are the EU, the US and the ASEAN countries. In the first seven months, trade with countries in the BRI Initiative registered at 48.73 billion yuan, a rise of 29.9%; and trade with RCEP countries grew 35.6% to about 60 billion yuan.

The growth rate and proportion of private enterprises in foreign trade continue to increase. The group has become the largest business entity in foreign trade, accounting for 53.8%.

In the first seven months, Changzhou exported 73.94 billion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, an increase of 33.4%, among which the export of lithium-ion batteries increased by 179.4%. Meanwhile, the export of high-tech products reached 19.71 billion yuan, an increase of 13.2%, while that of traditional labor-intensive products such as clothing dropped.

As for import, the city registered a total of 47.2 billion yuan, recording a new historic high. The 40.3% increase is mainly due to the price factor, with prices of some commodities, such as iron ore, rising significantly. The import value of mechanical and electrical products reached 19.6 billion yuan.