According to statistics from Qingdao Customs, Qingdao's imports and exports totaled 291.1 billion yuan ($40.38 billion) in the first four months of this year, showing a year-on-year growth of 3.7 percent. This accounted for 25.8 percent of Shandong province's total imports and exports during the same period. Among these, exports amounted to 175.64 billion yuan, showing an 8 percent increase.

Emerging markets are increasingly becoming new opportunities for foreign trade, prompting many enterprises in Qingdao to actively target these markets.

In the first four months, Qingdao's trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) accounted for nearly 60 percent of its total trade. Trade with ASEAN, South Korea, and Russia reached 46.27 billion yuan, 21.04 billion yuan, and 18.79 billion yuan, respectively, with growth rates of 10.3 percent, 5.2 percent, and 36.4 percent.

During the same period, trade with BRI countries amounted to 171.34 billion yuan, marking a 12 percent increase and representing 58.9 percent of the total. Trade with other Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries amounted to 30.16 billion yuan, showing a growth rate of 27.7 percent.

The positive performance in foreign trade is not merely a result of increased quantity but also stems from a continuous increase in the proportion of high-value-added products.

During that period, Qingdao's exports of mechanical and electrical products accounted for over half of the total, with significant growth in container shipments and general machinery equipment.

Mechanical and electrical product exports reached 91.14 billion yuan, growing by 11.9 percent and accounting for 51.9 percent of the total exports, contributing 6 percentage points to the export growth. Among these, exports of household appliances, automotive parts, containers, and general machinery grew by 4 percent, 7.5 percent, 21.1 percent, and 39.1 percent, respectively.

In the first four months of this year, Qingdao's imports and exports total 291.1 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 3.7 percent. [Photo/Guanhai News]