In the first five months of 2026, Suzhou’s total foreign trade import and export volume reached 1.48 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 37.5%. This figure is 2.45 times the national average growth rate of 15.3%.
Even more astonishing is that the monthly growth rate in May was as high as 59.4%, setting a historical record since February 2010.
This is not an accident, but a three-round collaboration of industry depth, business services, and market layout, which has set the pace for the reconstruction of the global industrial chain.
In terms of industrial space, Suzhou’s industrial logic has shifted from “production to orders” to “defining standards.”
In the past, Suzhou’s strength lay in its scale, but now its strength lies in its irreplaceability.
In areas such as optical communications, semiconductors, and new energy, Suzhou has mastered the entire chain of capabilities from core materials and equipment to end products.
From January to April 2026, Suzhou’s high-tech product exports accounted for 55.8% of total exports, contributing more than 68% of the export increase.
Among them, lithium battery exports soared by 87.5%, photovoltaic exports soared by 109.6%, and printed circuit exports increased by 33.7%. The growth rates of all core categories far exceeded the national average for similar products.
“Irreplaceable” has also led to the explosion of the entire chain. In the first five months, Suzhou’s imported electronic components surged 107.9% year-on-year, many of which provide core components for the production of higher-end optical modules and AI chips.
Driven by the demand for AI computing power in the 100-billion-level optical communications industry cluster built in Suzhou, related companies account for more than 70% of the global market share of optical modules, and the industry scale grew by more than 60% in the first quarter of this year.
The added value of products is 3 to 5 times higher than that of the traditional foundry model, and bargaining power has become the most real reward for a good position in the industry.
In terms of business services, this round of “full-chain business services” has created a “full-dimensional service network.”
In terms of customs clearance efficiency, Suzhou Free Trade Zone has formed a total of 270 institutional innovations, 14 of which have been replicated and promoted nationwide, innovating the “Shanghai Airport-Suzhou Front Cargo Terminal” model and achieving “zero waiting for parts.”
In terms of logistics system, in June 2026, Suzhou will fully open the three-dimensional “road, rail, water and air” logistics channels to ASEAN.
Taking Vietnam as an example, the whole journey of a railway train takes 5.5 days, which is 2 to 3 days shorter than traditional intermodal transport; the GMS highway card and air transport has “one certificate to connect six countries”, which improves the timeliness by 30%; the cost of the charter mode is half that of pure air transport.
In terms of foreign investment, as of 2025, Suzhou has established 238 regional headquarters of provincial-level multinational companies and 317 foreign-funded R&D centers.
In the first five months, the import and export growth rate of foreign-funded enterprises was as high as 42.3%, far exceeding the city’s average.
These services turn logistics from a “pain point” into a “barrier”, making products more competitive.
Emerging markets have become the key to the high growth rate of Suzhou’s foreign trade.
In the first five months of this year, Suzhou’s imports and exports to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative increased by 64.4% year-on-year, accounting for more than 52.6% of the city’s foreign trade for the first time, making it the first trillion-dollar foreign trade city in the country to achieve this ratio.
In May alone, the growth rate reached an astonishing 90.9%, directly driving more than 70% of the city’s foreign trade increase that month.
This shows that Suzhou has completed a “change of track.” In the past, it was highly dependent on Europe and the United States. Now, emerging markets such as ASEAN, Vietnam, and South Korea account for more than half of its trade share.
Compared with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region’s 6.1% growth rate for the “Belt and Road” countries and Dalian’s 15.5% growth rate during the same period, Suzhou’s 64.4% is a cliff-leading lead, and it relies on high-end manufacturing capabilities in all categories to achieve a global explosion.
Industrial card slots provide “what can be sold”, business services guarantee “how to sell comfortably”, and emerging market layout solves “who to sell to is more profitable”.
The superposition of the three creates a positive cycle: high-end manufacturing is highly competitive → good service and fast logistics → strong demand in emerging markets → increasing orders → companies continue to invest in upgrading manufacturing.
This kind of synergy is the result of Suzhou people’s hard work and is an upgraded version of “Zhangjiagang Spirit”, “Kunshan Road” and “Park Experience” in the digital age.
As long as the demand channels for global AI computing power, new energy, and electronic manufacturing continue to expand, and Suzhou’s “irreplaceability” in high-end manufacturing remains the leader, growth will have strong elasticity.
Although it will face challenges such as an expanding base and external trade frictions in the future, the combination of “full range of high-end manufacturing + comprehensive coverage of emerging markets + extremely convenient business environment” makes Suzhou no longer a city that grows by luck. Its next step is not to chase the trend, but to define the trend.
