Harbin, the capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, reached a total of 38.70 billion yuan ($5.53 billion) in foreign trade in 2022, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous year, which reveals a growth rate that was 4.8 percentage points higher than the whole country's average.
 
In 2022, Harbin's foreign trade saw a substantial increase in imports of major bulk commodities, as well as a rapid growth in imports and exports with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
 
Information from Harbin Customs shows that in 2022, Harbin imported soybeans worth 10.29 billion yuan, an increase of 29 percent. It also shows that Harbin imported iron ore worth 3.72 billion yuan, an increase of 274 percent. These two commodities alone accounted for 36.2 percent of the city's total import and export value.
 
Harbin's imports and exports to countries involved in the Belt and Road reached 13.07 billion yuan, with exports reaching 7.81 billion yuan, an increase of 14.1 percent; and imports reaching 5.26 billion yuan, an increase of 75.9 percent.
 
Meanwhile, Harbin's imports and exports to RCEP trading partner countries came in at 8.55 billion yuan in 2022, an increase of 47 percent, and accounting for 22.1 percent of the city's total import and export value. RCEP exports totaled 3.32 billion yuan, an increase of 38.7 percent, while imports from RCEP reached 5.24 billion yuan, an increase of 52.7 percent.
 
Additionally, private enterprises in Harbin reached a total import and export value of 20.93 billion yuan in 2022, an increase of 21.8 percent. State-owned enterprises reached 14.06 billion yuan in total import and export value, an increase of 3.2 percent. Lastly, foreign-funded enterprises reached an import and export value of 3.25 billion yuan, an increase of 2.5 percent.