Xiamen Ocean Gate Automated Terminal. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

Xiamen achieved a total import and export volume of 932.61 billion yuan ($128 billion) in 2024, with exports reaching 498.01 billion yuan, growth of 11.3 percent. 

Xiamen's total import and export commodity categories reached 6,109, 49 more than the previous year. The city ranked first nationwide in the export of tungsten products and second nationwide in the export of passenger vehicles with 10 seats or more and granite stone materials. It also ranked first nationwide in the import of coal, barley, sorghum, and beer, and second nationwide in the import of aircraft parts and edible bird's nests.

Private enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, and State-owned enterprises all experienced strong growth, with the number of new Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) enterprises growing from 75 at the end of 2023 to 140 by the end of 2024. At the same time, the number of foreign trade enterprises grew to 15,100.

Xiamen consolidated and expanded its traditional trading partners, while experiencing significant growth in emerging markets. Xiamen's trade partners include 239 countries and regions across five continents. Its top three trading partners are ASEAN, the United States, and the European Union, with trade with traditional partners such as the US and the United Kingdom showing positive trends. 

Trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for a significant portion of the total, while trade with RCEP member countries and BRICS countries also increased, demonstrating significant progress in tapping into emerging markets.

Xiamen Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park for BRICS imported goods. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

Xiamen's three major open platforms, the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, the Bonded Zone, and the Port, are continuously enhancing quality and efficiency, leading to the optimization of the city's business environment. In 2024, the Xiamen FTZ saw five innovative achievements recognized as "national firsts" and two cases selected as annual innovative cases in the Fujian FTZ.

The five major logistics channels remain open, contributing to the continuous improvement of trade facilitation in Xiamen. The city boasts a total of 145 container shipping routes connecting 152 ports in 49 countries and regions. Air transportation routes are also well-established, with Gaoqi International Airport offering 28 passenger routes and 19 cargo routes to 25 countries and regions, as well as 39 cities.

China-Europe Express Railway (Xiamen-Moscow). [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

In 2024, Xiamen added 12 new cross-border e-commerce charter flight routes. Currently, the city has established direct postal routes to 26 countries and regions, as well as mutual postal routes with 220 countries and regions. Additionally, Xiamen has three rail routes connecting to Europe, Central Asia, and Russia, with nine rail routes radiating to Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and other countries. The destinations include Poland, Germany, Russia, Belarus, and more.