Shipyard in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong in Jiangsu province has seen its foreign trade exceed 400 billion yuan ($56.85 billion), reaching a total of 403.76 billion yuan from January to November, for the first time in history, according to statistics from Nantong Customs.

The city's import and export volume grew by 15.9 percent year-on-year during the period, outpacing the provincial average by 9.7 percentage points and securing the fastest growth rate in the province. Exports reached 280.05 billion yuan, a rise of 23.6 percent, while imports totaled 123.71 billion yuan, marking a modest increase of 1.7 percent.

In November alone, Nantong's foreign trade stood at 33.64 billion yuan, up 8.2 percent from the same period last year. Exports were particularly robust at 23.19 billion yuan, up 16 percent and marking the third consecutive month of double-digit growth.

Over the first 11 months, the number of foreign trade enterprises in the city with active import and export operations exceeded 9,000 for the first time, an increase of 666 from the previous year.

During the same period, Nantong's trade with ASEAN, the EU, and the Middle East reached 65.55 billion yuan, 58.7 billion yuan, and 37.52 billion yuan, respectively, with growth rates of 46.2 percent, 26.4 percent, and 21.4 percent.

Major export industries demonstrated strong performance from January to November, particularly in mechanical and electrical products, which saw exports reach 169.86 billion yuan, a substantial increase of 42.3 percent.

Looking ahead, Nantong's combined imports and exports are expected to surpass 430 billion yuan this year. The city's leading industries, such as shipbuilding and marine engineering, are seeing strong momentum, and a positive outlook among foreign trade enterprises is set to boost next year's trade development.