Ningbo's foreign trade tops 1 trillion yuan in first three quarters of 2025

The Chuanshan Port Area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. [Photo by Wu Mengkai/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo's foreign trade maintained steady growth in 2025, with total imports and exports reaching 1.09 trillion yuan ($1,532 billion) from January to September, up 3.7 percent year-on-year, according to Ningbo Customs.

During this period, exports rose 6 percent to 739.34 billion yuan, while imports totaled 352.92 billion yuan. September alone saw 122.86 billion yuan in foreign trade, a 2.9 percent increase.

Private enterprises led the charge, with 846.13 billion yuan in trade, up 5.7 percent and representing 77.5 percent of the city's total.

Ningbo's global reach also expanded, with trade up 6.6 percent with the European Union, 14.8 percent with ASEAN, and 10.1 percent with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative — now half of the city's total trade.

Exports of electromechanical products hit 430.62 billion yuan, up 8.1 percent. "New trio" export products — electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells — grew 63.1 percent, with EV exports soaring 289 percent. During the same period, exports of industrial robots increased by 106.5 percent year-on-year.

Imports of unwrought copper and organic chemicals rose sharply, up 22.7 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively, while high-tech imports climbed 13.7 percent.