Containers are stacked at a port in Qidong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

The foreign trade of Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong, reached 19.19 billion yuan ($2.84 billion) in the first half of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 36.5 percent. Exports grew by 8.5 percent to 12.36 billion yuan, while imports rose by 1.6 times to 6.83 billion yuan.

Qidong's private enterprises played a pivotal role in driving this growth. From January to June, their foreign trade totaled 10.33 billion yuan, up 54.2 percent and accounting for 53.8 percent of the county's total.

Meanwhile, Qidong's foreign trade markets grew more diversified. Exports and imports to the European Union reached 4.82 billion yuan, a 1.5-fold increase year on year, while trade with Brazil surged to 1.32 billion yuan, up threefold. Trade with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 8.75 billion yuan, growing by 30.1 percent.

As a pillar industry for Qidong's foreign trade, the maritime engineering and shipbuilding sector demonstrated strong growth momentum. In the first half of the year, imports and exports by local shipbuilding and offshore engineering enterprises reached 10.83 billion yuan, up 40 percent, accounting for more than half of the county's total.