The total value of foreign trade in the Pudong New Area reached a historic high to 795.27 billion yuan (US$117.47 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, up 32.8 percent year on year – outperforming both Shanghai and national averages.
Exports stood at 314.62 billion yuan, up 25.7 percent, while imports rose 37.9 percent to 480.65 billion yuan.
Just days ago, Pudong-based foreign trade firm Shanghai Outstanding Industry Co Ltd received a US$1 million order from an African buyer whom the company met at the 139th Canton Fair in Guangzhou, following a US$500,000 order at the previous fair.
“We didn’t expect this,” said General Manager Lu Xiaoquan, noting that the buyer holds procurement rights for shopping malls in multiple African countries, reflecting a fast-growing middle class with purchasing power on the continent.
According to the Pudong Commission of Commerce, trade with emerging markets surged in Q1: exports and imports to ASEAN, Latin America and Africa grew 22.8 percent, 13.9 percent and 65.8 percent, respectively. Trade with the EU, Pudong’s largest market, rose 19.9 percent to 124.02 billion yuan, while trade with Australia, Japan and South Korea grew 1.3 times, 23.7 percent and 100 percent, respectively.
At Haitong International Automotive Terminal in Waigaoqiao Port, China’s largest single vehicle ro-ro terminal, over 4,000 cars are shipped daily. Thanks to customs facilitation, electric vehicles are reaching global markets faster.
Data show Pudong’s EV exports surged 1.4 times to 35.65 billion yuan in the first quarter, with markets expanding beyond traditional Asia-Pacific regions. Lithium battery exports rose nearly 70 percent, and solar product exports increased more than fivefold. Compared with the previous quarter, EVs, lithium batteries and solar products showed strong and sustained upward momentum.
