An aerial view of Taicang Port in Suzhou (CFP)

Suzhou's total foreign trade reached over 1.91 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of the year, marking a year-on-year increase of 7.9%, according to Suzhou Customs.

The city’s exports and imports increased by 9% and 6.1% year-on-year, respectively. In September alone, Suzhou’s foreign trade expanded by 3.2% to 237.14 billion yuan, the highest level since February 2022.

In the first three quarters, the city's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative amounted to 729.07 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 13.6%. Trade with ASEAN increased by 10.3% to account for 40% of this figure. Trade with South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the five Central Asian countries grew by 32.4%, 57.1%, and 22%, respectively. Trade with 52 African countries rose by 12% to 29.14 billion yuan. Meanwhile, Suzhou’s trade with the United States, the European Union, and Japan grew by 3.1%, 0.7%, and 0.4%, respectively.

During this period, private enterprises recorded imports and exports of 739.64 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.3%, accounting for 38.7% of the city's total. Foreign-invested enterprises achieved over 1.09 trillion yuan in trade, with a 7.8% year-on-year growth, representing 57.5% of the total.

The manufacturing sector maintained stable growth in imports and exports. In addition, the city's cross-border e-commerce trade, processed through the customs platform, reached 13.04 billion yuan, surpassing the full-year level of 2023.