A container terminal in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Customs]

Nantong achieved a total foreign trade value of 440.73 billion yuan ($63.32 billion) in 2025, marking a 12.3 percent increase and surpassing 400 billion yuan for the first time, according to Nantong Customs.

Exports reached 303.59 billion yuan, surpassing 300 billion yuan for the first time, with a growth of 17 percent, while imports hit 137.14 billion yuan, up 3.3 percent.

In 2025, Nantong traded with over 200 countries and regions worldwide. As the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative entered a new stage of high-quality development, the city's trade with participating countries reached 226.92 billion yuan, surpassing the 200 billion yuan mark for the first time, with a growth of 13.7 percent. Its trade with the Middle East, ASEAN, the EU, and Africa increased by 19.9 percent, 21.2 percent, 24.2 percent, and 163.2 percent, respectively.

There were 9,370 foreign trade enterprises in Nantong with actual import and export performance in the same year, surpassing 9,000 for the first time, up 698 from the previous year.

Imports and exports of high-tech products in the city reached 100.67 billion yuan last year, up 27.8 percent, becoming the main engine driving foreign trade growth.

Analysis by Nantong Customs suggests that in 2026, the city's foreign trade is expected to maintain steady improvement in both scale and quality.