Shenzhen's Jan-May Foreign Trade Rises 31.1% to 2.32 Trillion Yuan

Overview

On June 22, 2026, Shenzhen Customs released the city's foreign trade figures for the first five months of the year. Total imports and exports reached 2.32 trillion yuan in January-May, up 31.1% year on year, keeping Shenzhen in first place among mainland Chinese cities. Exports came to 1.22 trillion yuan, up 15.9%, while imports reached 1.1 trillion yuan, up 53.4%, growing far faster than exports. The figures were also published on the Shenzhen government website on June 23 in an article from the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

Background

As a manufacturing base for electronics, electric vehicles and batteries, Shenzhen has for many years ranked among China's top cities by trade value. In recent years, rising demand related to AI and data centers has driven up imports of items such as computer parts, while exports of newer products such as lithium batteries and 3D printers have also grown. The latest figures appear to reflect these shifts in the city's industrial structure.

Key Points

Category	Value	Year on year	Share
General trade	1.2 trillion yuan	+25.5%	52%
Bonded logistics	696.52 billion yuan	+45.3%	30.1%
Processing trade	407.33 billion yuan	+27.9%	17.6%

• By type of company: Private companies' trade totaled 1.7 trillion yuan, up 38.2%, accounting for 73.2% of the total and contributing 26.5 percentage points to overall growth. Foreign-invested companies traded 581.38 billion yuan, up 25.6%, a 25.1% share.
• By trading partner: Trade with the top ten partners totaled 1.81 trillion yuan, up 33%, or 78.1% of the total. Hong Kong was the largest partner at 439.72 billion yuan (up 56.2%), followed by ASEAN at 343.32 billion yuan (up 18.3%) and Taiwan at 222.42 billion yuan (up 2.8%).
• Exports: Mechanical and electrical exports reached 935.31 billion yuan, up 18%, or 76.5% of all exports. Lithium batteries totaled 42.48 billion yuan (up 47.2%), medical devices 12.99 billion yuan (up 9.7%), 3D printers 6.73 billion yuan (up 125.5%), and computers and parts 143.59 billion yuan (up 14.6%).
• Imports: Mechanical and electrical imports came to 830.09 billion yuan, up 41.3%, or 75.8% of all imports. Within this, computer parts, mainly graphics cards and server-related items, rose 59.3% to 228.9 billion yuan.

Implications for Japan-Shenzhen Exchange

The continued expansion of Shenzhen's trade is likely to be useful information for Japanese companies doing business with the city as they track local demand. In particular, the 25.6% rise in trade by foreign-invested companies suggests that foreign firms, including Japanese companies with operations in Shenzhen, continue to maintain a meaningful presence. The sharp increase in imports of electronic components and computer-related products is also drawing interest from suppliers of parts, materials and manufacturing equipment. That said, the statistics reflect citywide trends, and the impact on individual industries and companies will vary.

The figures show that trade with Hong Kong grew sharply, by 56.2%, further strengthening its position as Shenzhen's largest partner. Bonded logistics also rose 45.3%, which appears to underline once again the importance of the logistics and transshipment functions linking Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Many Japanese companies conduct trade with South China via Hong Kong and Shenzhen, so developments in logistics are also drawing interest, since changes in transit routes and costs can directly affect the supply chains of such companies.

Outlook

The release did not include a full-year forecast. First-half (January-June) figures are expected in July, and attention will focus on whether the rapid growth in imports continues and how trade with major partners develops.

From the Association

The Association will continue to present official statistics on Shenzhen's economy and trade in an accessible way. We will also keep providing opportunities for information sharing and exchange so that companies in Japan and Shenzhen can deepen their understanding of each other's markets.