In the container yard of Zhengzhou International Land Port, the China Europe freight train loaded with electric vehicles and electromechanical products honked its horn and set sail. In the first eight months of 2026, Henan's total foreign trade value reached the 700 billion yuan mark for the first time, maintaining double-digit growth for eight consecutive months and running a new pace of opening up to the outside world in central provinces.

From January to August 2026, the total import and export value of Henan Province reached 703.25 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27.6%, of which the import growth rate was as high as 49%, ranking first in the list of foreign trade growth rates of central provinces in China. This achievement far exceeds the national average level and is reshaping the coordinate system of foreign trade growth for inland provinces.

Private entities bear more than 70% of the foreign trade share

In the first 8 months, the number of enterprises with import and export performance in Henan reached 17500, a net increase of 4790 compared to the same period last year, and the vitality of new market entities continued to be released. The total import and export value of private enterprises reached 538.52 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.4%, accounting for 76.6% of the province's foreign trade. The import and export of foreign-invested enterprises and state-owned enterprises also achieved positive growth of 9.3% and 25.3% respectively. All 11 provincial-level cities and Jiyuan Demonstration Zone in the province have achieved positive growth in imports and exports, and the pattern of regional foreign trade coordination has taken shape.

The export growth rate of the new three types exceeds 70%

The total value of exported electromechanical products reached 276.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%. Among them, the export of household appliances surged by 249.9%, and the export of automatic data processing equipment components increased by 58.1%. For the first time, large-scale export of bio aviation kerosene was achieved, with an additional export value of 1.12 billion yuan. The export of new three products represented by electric vehicles was 31.98 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 75.5%, and the export of high-tech products was 147.85 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.4%. The imports of metal ores, agricultural products and other categories have increased significantly at the same time. The import and export scale of countries jointly building the the Belt and Road has exceeded 310 billion yuan. All emerging markets such as ASEAN, Latin America and Africa have achieved double-digit growth. The advantages of diversified layout of foreign trade partners continue to highlight. Keywords: Import and export scale, land port logistics

Behind the foreign trade data of 703.25 billion yuan, from the takeoff and landing of cross-border cargo flights at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport to the slow departure of China Europe freight trains from land ports, lies the vivid practice of inland provinces not relying on the sea or borders to open up major channels.Editor/Cheng Liting