According to statistics published by Qingdao Customs, Qingdao’s imports and exports in the first quarter totaled RMB 205.98 bln, increasing by 4.8% year on year and representing 26.7% of Shandong Province’s total over the same period. To be specific, its exports amounted to RMB 119.1 bln, a year-on-year growth of 10.4%. In terms of gross imports and exports, Qingdao ranks 5th among 15 sub-provincial Chinese cities, only lagging behind Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Ningbo and Xiamen.

In the first quarter, Qingdao’s imports and exports with the EU, the USA and Japan amounted to RMB 26.3 bln, RMB 23.4 bln and RMB 15.31 bln, a year-on-year increase of 24%, 8.9% and 6.8%, respectively. Over the same period, the imports and exports between Qingdao and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road cooperation hit RMB 97.05 bln, accounting for 47.1% of Qingdao’s total.

In the first quarter, Qingdao’s exports of “new trio”, namely, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, surged by 106.3% year on year to RMB 1.22 bln. Among them, the exports of lithium-ion batteries, occupying a lion’s share, were worth RMB 890 mln, soaring by 176.5% year on year, and the exports of electric vehicles expanded by 61% year on year to RMB 310 mln.  (Liu Lanxing)