While the global economy faces multiple uncertainties, Chongqing's foreign trade has demonstrated strong growth resilience. According to the latest data from Chongqing Customs, the city's total import and export value reached 226.46 billion yuan in the first four months of 2025, representing a 4.7% year-on-year increase . This growth rate not only surpasses the national average by 2.3 percentage points but also serves as a significant boost for foreign trade development in China's western regions.
Trade Structure Continues to Optimize with Balanced Growth Across Sectors
Chongqing's impressive trade performance stems from its continuously improving trade structure. Data shows that general trade import and export volume reached 98.81 billion yuan , marking a substantial 15% year-on-year increase , demonstrating significant improvement in local enterprises' independent trade capabilities. Meanwhile, bonded logistics import and export volume reached 47.51 billion yuan , growing by 13.3% , highlighting Chongqing's unique advantages as an inland open economy hub. Notably, the Chongqing Comprehensive Bonded Zone accounted for 140.78 billion yuan of import and export value, representing 62.2% of the city's total foreign trade value during the same period, continuing to serve as the cornerstone of regional trade.
Private Enterprises Emerge as Key Drivers of Trade Growth
Private enterprises have become the main force propelling Chongqing's foreign trade growth. In the first four months, these enterprises achieved 112.4 billion yuan in import and export value, with a remarkable 23.1% year-on-year growth , fully demonstrating the vitality and resilience of the private economy. The city now boasts over 3,800 enterprises with actual import and export performance, representing a 13.5% increase year-on-year, including 3,389 private enterprises (up 15.9% ). This expansion of market entities provides a solid foundation for sustained foreign trade development. Foreign-invested enterprises and state-owned enterprises contributed 91.51 billion yuan and 22.37 billion yuan respectively in import and export value.
ASEAN Remains Top Trading Partner as Emerging Markets Gain Traction
In terms of trading partners, ASEAN continues to be Chongqing's largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching 39.16 billion yuan , up 13% year-on-year. More notably, Chongqing's trade with emerging markets in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa grew by 27.4% , 17.1% , and 39% respectively, demonstrating increasingly diversified trade partnerships. This trend not only provides more market opportunities for Chongqing's foreign trade but also enhances the city's ability to withstand external risks.
Strong Export Performance Across Key Product Categories
Chongqing's traditional competitive products maintained strong export performance. Laptop exports reached 47.72 billion yuan , maintaining the city's position as China's top exporter. Motorcycle exports totaled 8.8 billion yuan , surging 71.3% (32.2 percentage points higher than the national average), ranking second nationwide. Mobile phone exports reached 16.57 billion yuan , growing 12.9% (16.9 percentage points above the national average), ranking fifth nationally. Intermediate goods exports reached 49.39 billion yuan , increasing 21.3% and contributing over 60% of total export growth. Additionally, agricultural product exports accelerated to 590 million yuan , up 21.7% , injecting new momentum into rural revitalization efforts.
In summary, during the first four months of 2025, Chongqing's foreign trade achieved steady growth despite complex and changing global economic conditions. The continuous optimization of trade structure, vibrant market entities, expanding emerging markets, and robust export performance of competitive products have collectively driven high-quality development of Chongqing's foreign trade, providing strong support for the city's sustained economic growth.