Summary of Key Points
In the first half of 2026, the landscape of China's strong foreign trade cities underwent a significant reshuffle: AI and new energy became the core drivers of growth. Cities such as Suzhou, Xi'an, and Hefei, which caught the right trends, saw exponential growth, while the gap between leading cities like Shenzhen and Shanghai and other cities widened further. Multiple cities in the Yangtze River Delta region made concerted efforts, and dark horses emerged in the central and western regions, including Xi'an and Chongqing. At the same time, 12 of the top 20 foreign trade cities had growth rates below the national average, indicating a "relative decline." Overall, there is a trend of resources concentrating in the hands of a few winners.
Detailed Analysis
1. reshaping of the leading position: Suzhou surpasses Beijing to become third, with a widening gap among the top four
The competition in the "first tier" of the top 20 foreign trade cities has intensified: Shenzhen remains at the top with 2.88 trillion yuan (a 33% increase), followed by Shanghai with 2.55 trillion yuan, both setting new historical highs. The most notable change is Suzhou, which surpassed Beijing with a growth rate of 40.9% and moved from fourth to third place, leading Beijing by 41.5 billion yuan.
The top four foreign trade cities—Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing—all have exceeded the one-trillion-yuan mark in scale, and their growth rates are all above the national average (16.9%), further widening the gap with other cities. For example, both Shanghai and Suzhou saw exports exceed one trillion yuan for the first time in the first half of this year, which is equivalent to exporting over 5.5 billion yuan per day, demonstrating strong resilience.
2. The Yangtze River Delta region collectively benefits from AI + new energy + emerging markets
The Yangtze River Delta has become the "main engine" of foreign trade growth, mainly due to its focus on AI and new energy technologies, as well as its utilization of emerging markets to offset the gap with Europe and America:
- Suzhou: The electronics information industry grew by 68.4% (accounting for 52.7% of exports), with lithium battery exports increasing by 78.6% and photovoltaic products by 103.3%, and there was a surge in high-end manufacturing orders.
- Wuxi: Re-entered the top ten after an 8-year hiatus, with mechanical and electrical product exports growing by 46.9% and high-tech products by 69.7%.
- Jinhua (Yiwu): Leveraging its reputation as a "capital of small commodities," imports and exports grew by 19.9%, and imports from Africa doubled, benefiting from the non-zero tariff policy.
Professor Zeng Gang from East China Normal University analyzed that the high growth in the Yangtze River Delta is due to both global green transformations (new energy vehicles, photovoltaics) and AI expansion (computing power chips), as well as the RCEP and "Belt and Road" initiatives, which have significantly filled the demand gap left by Europe and America.
3. Dark horses in the central and western regions make a comeback: each with its own strategic industries
Cities in the central and western regions are no longer just supporting players in foreign trade but are achieving leapfrog growth through their specialized industries:
- Xi'an (growth rate of 96.2%): The semiconductor industry is its ace, with a scale exceeding 140 billion yuan (sixth in the country). Leading companies like Micron and Samsung have driven growth, and high-tech product exports increased by 2.2 times, making Xi'an the leading city in semiconductors in the central and western regions.
- Hefei (growth rate of 41.5%): A decade-long investment in companies like Changxin Technology, BOE, and NIO is paying off, with integrated circuit exports growing by 275.7% and automobile exports increasing by 168.6%. Anhui Province leads the country in both automobile export volume and value.
- Chongqing (growth rate of 31.9%): The rebound in laptop exports (24.5%) is not due to increased sales but rather higher prices for storage chips (caused by surging AI demand), leading to a contraction in supply. Export of automotive KD components has become a new growth point, with both volume and value doubling by 2025.
4. High import growth: winning cities are building momentum for the future
Cities like Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Jinhua have seen import growth exceeding 50%. This is not about spending money but about accumulating strength for the next round of exports:
- For cities deeply integrated into AI and high-end manufacturing, high import growth is fuel for future exports. For example, Chongqing's imports of computer parts increased by 257.5% to replenish inventory for laptop production, while Hefei imported semiconductor equipment to support the expansion of its integrated circuit industry.
- Yiwu's doubling of imports from Africa not only takes advantage of the non-zero tariff policy but also accumulates raw materials and market resources for small commodity exports.
5. Warning signs: 12 cities with below-average growth rates
Twelve of the top 20 foreign trade cities had growth rates below the national average of 16.9%, indicating a relative decline. These cities share common issues: they failed to capitalize on the AI and new energy trends, have too large a proportion of traditional industries, or are overly dependent on European and American markets. Some established foreign trade cities still rely on low-value-added products and cannot adapt to global industrial restructuring.
Conclusion
China's foreign trade is shifting from "scale expansion" to "quality competition," with AI, new energy, and high-end manufacturing becoming the core competitive areas. In the future, cities that can continuously upgrade their industries and embrace emerging markets will be the winners in foreign trade, while those that stick to traditional industries may fall further behind.
(Note: All data in this analysis comes from news articles and are not actual statistical figures.)