Yiwu Customs data released on September 17 show the city's foreign trade reaching a record pace. In the first eight months, Yiwu's total import-export value hit 636.4 billion yuan, up 14.8% year on year. Exports reached 548.85 billion yuan, up 12.8% and a historic high, crossing the 500-billion-yuan mark a full month earlier than last year.
Notably, import growth outran exports: imports reached 87.55 billion yuan, up 29.4%—more than double the export growth rate—signaling that the trade structure is becoming heavier on the "buying in" side even as exports remain the dominant force.
Crossing 500 billion in eight months rather than nine reflects a full-year rhythm shift forward. For foreign-trade players, order windows, stocking cycles and logistics scheduling all move with that tempo. The 14.8% import-export growth, in the current external environment, indicates overseas demand has not gone cold and the export channel is still running at volume.
Source: Yiwu Customs / NetEase
