Tonghai Port in Nantong. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The foreign trade of Nantong, Jiangsu province, jumped more than 30 percent in July, driven by a record-breaking surge in ship exports and strong demand for new energy equipment, according to the latest data from Nantong Customs.

Total imports and exports for the month reached 46.1 billion yuan ($6.83 billion), the highest monthly figure in nearly a year and a 30.3 percent increase year-on-year. Exports rose 33.8 percent to 31.5 billion yuan, the first time this year the city has broken the 30 billion yuan threshold, while imports climbed 23.3 percent to 14.6 billion yuan, setting a new all-time high.

For the January-to-July period, Nantong's overall foreign trade totaled 268.69 billion yuan, up 14.3 percent from a year earlier, maintaining its position as the fourth-largest trading city in Jiangsu province.

Its trade with major partners showed broad-based growth in July. Exports and imports with ASEAN reached 9.13 billion yuan, up 71.7 percent; with the European Union, 6.81 billion yuan, up 30.4 percent; with South Korea, 4.64 billion yuan, up 165.3 percent; and with the United States, 3.05 billion yuan, up 14.5 percent.

Mechanical and electrical products remained the backbone of Nantong's exports, totaling 20.97 billion yuan in July, a 59.3 percent increase that accounted for 66.6 percent of the city's total exports.

Ship deliveries were a standout performer in July, with export value reaching 7.22 billion yuan, a historic high and a staggering 368.2 percent increase from the same month last year. New energy equipment also posted strong gains with exports of lithium batteries rising 20.4 percent, wind turbine generators surging 771.7 percent, solar cells climbing 74.9 percent, and wire and cable exports increasing 24.2 percent.

On the import side, liquefied natural gas and machinery equipment were the primary drivers. LNG imports reached 4.07 billion yuan in July, up 56.4 percent, as both volume and prices rose by 32 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively.

Imports of mechanical and electrical products climbed 34.6 percent to 4.41 billion yuan, led by general machinery, measurement and testing instruments, and electrical equipment.