​Xi'an sets foreign trade record in 2025

Xi'an's total import and export volume reached 498.79 billion yuan ($71.86 billion) in 2025, a record high, up 21.1 percent year-on-year, with its growth rate ranking second among 15 sub-provincial cities, driving Shaanxi province's foreign trade growth by 19.2 percentage points and making the city an important part of China's opening-up.

In 2025, exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products totaled 54.42 billion yuan, with the growth rate reaching 31.4 percent. New energy vehicles sold well in Europe, Australia, and many other regions, gaining broad recognition in the international market.

From January to November, Xi'an's import and export trade in services totaled 62.76 billion yuan, up 26.7 percent year-on-year. Five cases were selected as National Best Practical Cases in Technology Trade, and two as National Best Practical Cases in Digital Trade.

Xi'an established trade relations with 217 countries and regions in 2025, up 12 from the previous year. In consolidating industrial chain cooperation, major partners such as South Korea, the European Union, and Japan maintained close ties. Trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN also grew steadily.

Xi'an's cross-border e-commerce import and export volume reached 6.77 billion yuan, surging by 75.1 percent. Used car exports emerged as a new highlight, with 14,056 vehicles exported throughout the year, a 130 percent year-on-year increase, and an export value of $298 million, double that of the previous year.

Faced with uncertainties in the international trade environment, Xi'an, its customs, finance, industry, and information technology departments, and the Chanba International Port issued 60 measures for trade facilitation, 10 policies to boost trade development via the China-Europe Railway Express, and policies for the integrated development of trade and industries, including commercial vehicles, biomedicine, and power transmission, thereby forming a supportive system featuring mutual complementarity and coordinated efforts.

The linkage of the air-land dual hub also upgraded Xi'an from an inland transportation city to an international logistics hub with global reach.

The China-Europe Railway Express operated 6,037 freight trains and transported 6.96 million metric tons of cargo, ranking first nationally in both train trips and freight volume for eight consecutive years. Five new international cargo routes, including those to Tbilisi and Chicago, were launched over the year, bringing the total number of all-cargo air routes to 33.

Designated supervision sites for imported aquatic products and grain have been operationalized, and smart port development has advanced, making global trade more convenient and efficient.