Rugao achieves a record high in foreign trade in the first half of 2025. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province, achieved a record high in foreign trade in the first half of 2025, with total imports and exports reaching 19.42 billion yuan ($2.7 billion), a year-on-year increase of 13.1 percent.

Exports totaled 14.66 billion yuan, up 17.9 percent, while imports rose slightly by 0.5 percent to 4.76 billion yuan.

Trade with countries along the Belt and Road reached 9.75 billion yuan, accounting for 50.2 percent of the city's total foreign trade and marking a 15.6 percent increase year-on-year. Trade with ASEAN countries surged 41.1 percent to 4.98 billion yuan, while trade with the EU rose by 11.9 percent to 3.42 billion yuan.

Electromechanical products remained Rugao's leading export category, totaling 7.44 billion yuan — a surge of 38.4 percent and accounting for 50.8 percent of total exports. Notably, ship exports increased 5.2-fold to 1.56 billion yuan. Exports of sporting goods and equipment, basic organic chemicals, and high-tech products reached 1.18 billion yuan, 1.17 billion yuan, and 1.17 billion yuan, respectively, together making up 24 percent of the city's total exports.

On the import side, agricultural products, pulp, electromechanical products, and basic organic chemicals dominated, with combined imports of 1.49 billion yuan, 1.38 billion yuan, 450 million yuan, and 420 billion yuan, respectively, accounting for 78.6 percent of total imports.

Private enterprises played a key role in Rugao's foreign trade, accounting for 11.26 billion yuan — a robust increase of 17.7 percent and representing 58 percent of the city's total trade volume. Meanwhile, foreign-invested enterprises posted 7.67 billion yuan in imports and exports, up 11.9 percent.

The strong performance reflects Rugao's growing integration with global markets and its rising industrial competitiveness.