Lyusi Port in Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province, recorded a total foreign trade value of 32.74 billion yuan ($4.92 billion) in the first three quarters of 2026, up 51.1 percent year-on-year, according to local customs authorities.

Exports reached 23.2 billion yuan, up 31.3 percent, while imports totaled 9.54 billion yuan, up 40 percent from the same period last year.

Qidong saw an improved trade structure, with processing trade emerging as a major driver of growth. In the first three quarters, processing trade reached 17.23 billion yuan, up 20 percent year-on-year and accounting for 52.6 percent of the county's total.

Private enterprises were a major driver of growth, recording imports and exports of 17.14 billion yuan, up 60.5 percent year-on-year and accounting for 52.4 percent of the county's total.

The structure of traded goods continued to shift toward higher-value-added and technology-intensive products. Mechanical and electrical products remained the most significant exports, reaching 19.27 billion yuan, up 38 percent and accounting for 83.1 percent of total exports.

On the import side, demand for industrial upgrading continued to grow. Imports of mechanical and electrical products reached 8.03 billion yuan, up 50 percent year-on-year. Qidong also recorded its first imports of liquefied natural gas, valued at 280 million yuan.

Qidong's foreign trade markets also became more diversified during the period. Trade with the European Union and South Korea recorded strong growth, reaching 6.72 billion yuan and 3.51 billion yuan, up 20 percent and 60 percent year-on-year, respectively. Trade with Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states totaled 6.71 billion yuan, an increase of 48 percent year-on-year.