Jiangsu province's foreign trade reached 2.84 trillion yuan in the first five months of 2026, surging 21.7 percent year-on-year, according to Nanjing Customs.

The growth rate was 6.3 percentage points higher than the national average, and the province accounted for 13.7 percent of China's total imports and exports during the January-May period. Exports rose 18.9 percent to 1.85 trillion yuan, while imports jumped 27.2 percent to 988.65 billion yuan.

General trade made up nearly half of the total, and processing trade expanded close to 40 percent.

Foreign-invested enterprises served as a strong driving force, and state-owned enterprises recorded rapid growth.

Trade with major partners maintained fast momentum. Jiangsu's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative climbed 28.8 percent to 1.49 trillion yuan. Trade with ASEAN grew 27.8 percent to 542.74 billion yuan, and trade with the European Union increased 17.2 percent to 378.02 billion yuan.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products accelerated markedly, rising 28 percent to 1.37 trillion yuan. Among them, automatic data processing equipment and components surged 62.3 percent to 154.78 billion yuan; electrical equipment rose 24.5 percent to 114.95 billion yuan; mobile phones grew 13.6 percent to 72.14 billion yuan; and ships were up 9 percent to 56.49 billion yuan. The "new three" products — electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells — posted a 26 percent increase, reaching 87.49 billion yuan.

Imports of mechanical and electrical products also rose significantly, jumping 47.6 percent to 654.96 billion yuan.