Hubei's total imports and exports expanded 15.9 percent year on year to 117.79 billion yuan in the first two months of the year, according to Wuhan Customs on Mar. 18, 2026.

Out of total, exports rose 7.9 percent to 74.87 billion yuan, while imports surged 33.1 percent to 42.92 billion yuan.

Integrated circuits, automobiles, and lithium-ion batteries emerged as the primary growth drivers in the two months, contributing 14.2 percentage points to the province's export growth.

Exports of electromechanical products accounted for 67.9 percent of Hubei's total exports during the same period, up 12.8 percentage points from a year earlier, reaching 50.82 billion yuan, which indicated an accelerated transformation towards high-end and precision industries.

In January and February this year, private companies continued to dominate Hubei's foreign trade landscape, with imports and exports reaching 73.32 billion yuan, accounting for over 60 percent of the total. Foreign-invested enterprises posted robust performance, with trade volume hitting 22.23 billion yuan, up over 40 percent, contributing 6.4 percentage points to the province's trade growth. State-owned enterprises also recorded solid growth of 17.3 percent, with trade reaching 22.17 billion yuan.

Hubei’s trade with European Union, its largest trading partner, jumped 37.1 percent to 19.63 billion yuan, while that with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 60.81 billion yuan, up 16.9 percent.

Regionally, Wuhan continued to play a leading role, presenting 96.8 percent to the province's foreign trade growth with exports and imports of 73.95 billion yuan. Huangshi, Yichang, and Jingzhou followed with imports and exports of 11.58 billion yuan, 5.55 billion yuan, and 5.29 billion yuan, respectively.

During the same period, bulk commodity imports in the province witnessed increases both in volume and value. And consumer goods imports remained robust, reaching 5.72 billion yuan with a growth rate surpassing 90 percent. Notably, beef imports surged nearly 150 percent, reflecting strong domestic consumption demand and improving living standards.

Editor : wangchong