On October 15, Hefei Customs released Anhui’s foreign trade performance in the first three quarters. In the first three quarters of 2026, Anhui posted a total import and export volume of goods trade at 989.08 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 35.6%. Of this total, exports stood at 696.28 billion yuan and imports at 292.8 billion yuan. In September alone, Anhui’s imports and exports reached 134.32 billion yuan, hitting a record high for a single month, with exports exceeding 100 billion yuan for the first time.

Anhui saw diversified development of foreign trade modes in the first three quarters, with rapid growth in general trade and bonded logistics. Statistics show that imports and exports under general trade reached 737.28 billion yuan, up 46.1% and accounting for 74.5% of the province’s total foreign trade. Processing trade registered imports and exports of 160.36 billion yuan, rising by 0.8%. Meanwhile, imports and exports via bonded logistics hit 83.29 billion yuan, an increase of 46.5%.

On the export side, exported products are becoming smarter and greener, with the share of independent brands steadily rising. In the first three quarters, Anhui’s equipment manufacturing sector played a prominent leading role. Specifically, automobile exports reached 1.728 million units, surging 120%, valued at 181.11 billion yuan, up 110%. Both export volume and value ranked first nationwide. Exports of the “new trio” products reached 145.46 billion yuan, a 130% increase and accounting for 20.9% of the province’s total exports. Exports of independent brands stood at 367.48 billion yuan, growing by 51.3% to make up 52.8% of total exports, 2.8 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

On the import side, imports of primary products maintained sound momentum and mechanical and electrical products saw steady growth. In the first three quarters, Anhui imported metal ores and concentrates worth 124.64 billion yuan, up 36.6%. Imports of agricultural products reached 17.37 billion yuan, including grain imports of 3.22 billion yuan and dairy imports of 1.65 billion yuan. Imports of mechanical and electrical products hit 104.9 billion yuan, an increase of 13.1%, among which computer components accounted for 25.69 billion yuan.

In terms of market entities, private enterprises played a notable role while all types of entities advanced in tandem. In the first three quarters, private enterprises in Anhui recorded imports and exports of 537.77 billion yuan, up 44.6% and accounting for 54.4% of the province’s total foreign trade. State-owned enterprises posted 252.96 billion yuan, an increase of 44.1%, taking up 25.6%. Foreign-invested enterprises registered 198.28 billion yuan, rising by 8.8% and accounting for 20%.

In terms of its trade “circle of friends”, emerging markets kept expanding and trading partners became more diversified. In the first three quarters, Anhui achieved trade growth with 167 countries and regions worldwide. Its imports and exports with the EU reached 140.51 billion yuan, up 39.5%, and those with ASEAN hit 121.62 billion yuan, an increase of 19.4%. Over the same period, Anhui’s imports and exports with other APEC economies, Belt and Road cooperation countries and other RCEP member states reached 593.19 billion yuan, 502.2 billion yuan and 227.75 billion yuan respectively.

Source: anhuinews.com