Jinan's foreign trade has maintained strong momentum in the first seven months of 2025, fueled by active business participation, robust growth in key exports and imports, and deepening trade links with the ASEAN, African, and Latin American markets.

From January to July, Jinan's foreign trade reached 150.3 billion yuan ($21.1 billion), up 26.8 percent year-on-year — outpacing the provincial average by 19.5 percentage points and ranking fourth in Shandong province. Exports stood at 98.17 billion yuan, rising 18.5 percent, while imports surged 46.1 percent to 52.13 billion yuan.

By the end of July 2025, 6,253 enterprises in Jinan had recorded foreign trade activity, marking a 14.6 percent increase from last year. Among them, 21 leading firms, each with foreign trade exceeding 1 billion yuan, collectively accounted for nearly half of the city's total, handling 74.14 billion yuan worth of goods.

Machinery and electronics, steel, agricultural products, medical materials and pharmaceuticals, and plastic products were the top five export categories. On the import side, machinery and electronics, metal ores, agricultural products, crude oil, and pulp products dominated.

Trade with emerging markets remained a bright spot. In the first seven months, trade with ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America reached 32.59 billion, 19.68 billion, and 17.83 billion yuan, respectively, growing by 31.8 percent, 54.2 percent, and 38.2 percent. Meanwhile, trade with Belt and Road countries totaled 91.28 billion yuan, up 31.1 percent, and trade with RCEP members grew 22 percent to 47.91 billion yuan.

Jinan's expanding trade network and diversified markets are solidifying its role as a vital gateway for international commerce, positioning the city to play an even greater part in China's high-quality opening-up.