(Yicai) Jan. 27 -- China’s inland provinces in its central and western regions posted strong export growth last year driven by booming exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries and solar products, despite broader economic headwinds.

Nine of the country’s top 10 provinces in terms of foreign import and export growth last year were inland provincial-level regions in central or western China.

The top 10 were Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, central Shaanxi province, central Hubei province, northwestern Qinghai province, eastern Anhui province, northwestern Gansu province, central Henan province, the municipality of Chongqing in the southwest of the country, northern Hebei province, and southwestern Yunnan province, according to Yicai’s analysis of last year’s data. Only Hebei has a coastline.

The top three provincial-level regions, namely Xinjiang, Shaanxi and Hubei, logged import and export growth rates of 19.9 percent, 18.5 percent and 18.2 percent, respectively, while Hebei posted growth of 11 percent.

Chongqing’s double-digit foreign trade growth was mainly driven by surging exports of NEVs, lithium batteries and solar products, which jumped 73.5 percent in 2025 from the year before, said Chen Hai, deputy director of Chongqing Customs. Imports and exports of integrated circuits, computer accessories and auto parts rose 21.1 percent, 20.3 percent and 25 percent, respectively, making them the main driving forces of foreign trade growth.

NEVs, lithium batteries and solar products also powered export growth across other central and western provinces. Anhui, which is China’s largest auto-producing province, exported 1.2 million vehicles, including the chassis, in 2025, a jump of 28.7 percent. This achievement made it the first province in China to export more than one million vehicles in a single year. The total export value of these three categories reached CNY101.83 billion (USD14.6 billion), ranking sixth nationwide and serving as a major growth engine for foreign trade.

Hubei, which ranked third, saw significant growth in the export of emerging green products last year, with lithium batteries, electric passenger and freight vehicles as well as electric motors and generators increasing by 163 percent, 107 percent and 59.6 percent, respectively.

In Henan, exports of NEVs, lithium batteries and solar products surged 1.8 times last year from the year before to CNY33.6 billion (USD4.8 billion). Electric vehicle exports alone surged 2.5-fold to reach a record high of CNY30.8 billion.

The booming exports of these three products has also benefited resource-rich provinces. Qinghai, which ranked fourth, saw its lithium-ion battery exports soar 3.8 times last year, becoming the province’s largest export product. From 2021 to 2024, Qinghai’s export growth ranked fifth, third, fourth and second nationwide, respectively.

However, in terms of export value, the eastern coastal regions remain the backbone of China’s foreign trade. Last year, Shanghai and Beijing as well as southeastern Guangdong province, eastern Jiangsu province, eastern Zhejiang province, eastern Shandong province and southeastern Fujian province logged combined imports and exports of CNY34.1 trillion, a gain of 2.7 percent from the year before and accounting for more than half of China’s foreign trade growth.

Still, the rapid growth in exports of NEVs, lithium batteries and solar products is accelerating trade growth in the central and western regions, which are located inland. The scale of foreign trade in these regions continues to expand, strengthening their role in China’s overall foreign trade landscape.

Editor: Kim Taylor