At a press briefing on the foreign trade situation for the first quarter of 2026, it was introduced that in the first quarter of this year, keenly grasping global trends and leveraging its solid industrial foundation, world-class port hub, and efficient trade services, a dual leap in both scale and quality was achieved in the export of green products such as electric vehicles, new energy storage systems, and photovoltaics, demonstrating strong and sustainable growth momentum.

In the first quarter, the export volume and value of green products increased simultaneously, highlighting their competitiveness. Taking the star product, electric vehicles, as an example, the export value in the first quarter reached 37.89 billion yuan, a sharp increase of 135.4% year-on-year, setting a new historical high for a single quarter. The total number of vehicles exported was 245,000, equivalent to 2,700 electric vehicles being shipped to all over the world every day.

Furthermore, in March, shipyards exported the world’s largest 23,000 TEU dual-fuel powered container ship, valued at over 1.7 billion yuan, the highest price for a similar export product. The value of the exported 174,000 cubic meter LNG carrier also ranked among the highest in the country for similar products.

The vigorous development of the global AI industry has generated enormous demand for intelligent computing power, and stable, green, and efficient power supply is the core guarantee for AI infrastructure. The product system precisely aligns with this global trend. In the first quarter, the export value of photovoltaic products and wind power equipment reached 3.37 billion yuan and 1.12 billion yuan, increasing significantly by 96.6% and 70.1% respectively. The export value of power transmission and transformation equipment such as wires, cables, and transformers was 23.06 billion yuan, an increase of 25.2%. Strong global demand for new energy storage equipment directly drove the export value of lithium batteries in the quarter to nearly double, reaching 15.26 billion yuan.

International cooperation continues to be strengthened, with products meeting high international standards. In the first quarter, exports of electric vehicles to the European Union and Japan more than doubled, while exports to South Korea increased nearly fourfold. Simultaneously, by deeply participating in the global wave of new energy infrastructure construction and actively expanding into emerging markets, exports of photovoltaic products to Africa increased 2.8 times, exports of wind power equipment to Central Asia increased 5.4 times, and exports of energy storage equipment to the Middle East surged from just over 10 million yuan to over 1.3 billion yuan.

Shanghai Customs House

The Shanghai Customs House is a historic neoclassical building on the Bund, completed in 1927. It served as the headquarters for China’s Imperial Maritime Customs Service, an institution historically administered by foreign powers, which played a crucial role in international trade and Shanghai’s development as a treaty port. Today, it remains a functioning customs office and a landmark symbolizing the city’s colonial past and modern economic resurgence.

European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 European countries, founded in the aftermath of World War II to foster peace and economic cooperation. It originated with the 1951 European Coal and Steel Community and has evolved through major treaties into a single market with shared policies and a common currency, the euro, used by 20 member states.

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia with a rich history spanning over two millennia, evolving from ancient imperial rule and samurai shogunates to a modern constitutional monarchy. It is renowned for its unique cultural heritage, including traditional arts like tea ceremony and kabuki, as well as iconic sites such as historic temples in Kyoto and the modern metropolis

Shanghai Customs House

The Shanghai Customs House is a historic neoclassical building on the Bund, completed in 1927. It served as the headquarters for China’s maritime customs administration during a period of significant foreign influence and international trade. It is famously known for its clock tower, which chimes the melody of “The East Is Red.”

European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 European countries, founded to promote peace, stability, and cooperation after the devastation of World War II. Its origins trace back to the 1951 European Coal and Steel Community, which evolved through key treaties into today’s single market and shared institutions. It now functions as a major global actor with a common currency (the euro, used by 20 members) and policies spanning from trade to climate action.

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia with a rich cultural history dating back thousands of years, including ancient Shinto traditions and the classical imperial court era. It is renowned for iconic sites like historic temples in Kyoto, the atomic bomb memorials in Hiroshima, and the modern cultural influence seen in Tokyo. The country’s unique identity blends deep reverence for tradition with rapid technological advancement and global pop culture.

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