The Yangtze River Economic Belt’s 11 provinces and municipalities recorded a record-high total value of imports and exports in the first quarter.

April 23, 2026

People's Daily Online-People's Daily

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According to data released by Nanjing Customs, in the first quarter of 2026, the total value of foreign trade imports and exports of 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt reached 5.51 trillion billion yuan, a record high in the same period in history, an increase of 15.4 percent over the same period last year, accounting for 46.5 percent of the country's total import and export value. Among them, the export is 3.42 trillion yuan and the import is 2.09 trillion yuan. In terms of market expansion, the Yangtze River Economic Belt continued to deepen economic and trade cooperation with the countries that jointly built the "Belt and Road". In the first quarter, imports and exports to the co-built countries were 2.8 trillion billion yuan, an increase of 16.4 percent over the same period last year, accounting for 46.2 percent of the country's imports and exports to the co-built countries. In terms of product structure, the import and export of high-tech products performed outstandingly, reaching 1.71 trillion billion yuan in the first quarter, an increase of 27.7 percent over the same period last year, accounting for 48.7 percent of the country's import and export of high-tech products, showing that the "new content" of foreign trade in the Yangtze River Economic Belt continues to increase. On the whole, the foreign trade of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has started well. While the scale has reached a new high, the diversification of trading partners and the upgrading of product structure are obvious.

Beijing, April 22 (Reporter Ouyang Jie) — Reporters learned from Nanjing Customs that in the first quarter, the foreign trade import and export value of the 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt reached 5.51 trillion yuan, setting a record high for the same period in history, an increase of 15.4% year-on-year, accounting for 46.5% of the national import and export total. Among them, exports amounted to 3.42 trillion yuan, and imports amounted to 2.09 trillion yuan.

In terms of markets, economic and trade cooperation with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative continues to deepen. In the first quarter, the 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt had imports and exports with Belt and Road Initiative countries totaling 2.8 trillion yuan, an increase of 16.4% year-on-year, accounting for 46.2% of the national imports and exports with Belt and Road Initiative countries. In terms of products, the "new content" continues to improve. In the first quarter, the import and export of high-tech products in the 11 provinces and cities of the Yangtze River Economic Belt reached 1.71 trillion yuan, an increase of 27.7% year-on-year, accounting for 48.7% of the national high-tech product import and export total.

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The Yangtze River Economic Belt’s 11 provinces and municipalities recorded a record-high total value of imports and exports in the first quarter.