Jinan's foreign trade exhibited solid growth in the first two months of 2026, reaching 49.24 billion yuan ($7.13 billion), a 33.7 percent year-on-year increase that outpaced the provincial average by 23.8 percentage points. Exports led the growth with 33.19 billion yuan, up 47.3 percent, underscoring Jinan's competitiveness in global markets, while imports amounted to 16.05 billion yuan.

Trade growth was widespread across various trade types. General trade rose 38.1 percent year-on-year to 46.8 billion yuan, and processing trade climbed 52.1 percent to 1.28 billion yuan. Among global partners, ASEAN was the city's largest trading partner at 8.05 billion yuan, while trade with Africa surged 94.6 percent. Trade with Belt and Road and RCEP partner countries also expanded, increasing 30 percent and 38.3 percent, respectively.

Jinan's exports were driven by mechanical and electrical products, which increased 57.5 percent to 23.28 billion yuan, accompanying strong gains in steel (up 47.4 percent) and labor-intensive goods (up 55.5 percent). In terms of imports, metal ores soared 91.4 percent to 5.73 billion yuan, meeting local industrial demand.

Private enterprises remained the main contributors to foreign trade, generating 29.11 billion yuan in imports and exports, while foreign-invested firms showed significant growth, rising 70.4 percent to 11.57 billion yuan.