Container vessels are loaded and unloaded at the Dapukou container terminal in the Jintang port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang province, Dec 9, 2025. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province's total imports and exports with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies reached 2.7 trillion yuan ($389.11 billion) in 2025, marking a record high.

According to data released by the Hangzhou Customs. The figure represented year-on-year growth of 2.4 percent.

Private enterprises remained the main driver of trade growth. In 2025, Zhejiang's private companies recorded imports and exports of 2.14 trillion yuan with other APEC economies, up 3.8 percent year-on-year and accounting for 79.2 percent of the province's total APEC trade during the period.

Trade with several Southeast Asian and Pacific economies expanded rapidly. Zhejiang's imports and exports with Singapore and Brunei rose by 30.8 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Trade with Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand increased by 24.1 percent, 9 percent, and 14.7 percent over the same period.

Customs authorities attributed part of the growth to the expanding network of Authorized Economic Operators, or AEOs, and mutual recognition agreements between China and other APEC member economies.

Under these agreements, certified AEO enterprises can enjoy simplified customs procedures and facilitation measures when trading with participating economies, reducing clearance time and logistics costs.

One beneficiary is Arda (Zhejiang) Electric in Jinhua. Wu Baorong, the company's head of foreign trade, said Australia is its largest export market. He added that the China-Australia AEO mutual recognition arrangement has helped ensure smooth exports and relatively stable market access. In 2025, the company's exports to other APEC economies reached 350 million yuan, up 9.6 percent year-on-year.

Zhejiang exported 873.67 billion yuan worth of mechanical and electrical products to other APEC economies in 2025, an increase of 2.8 percent. These products accounted for 45.7 percent of the province's total exports to APEC economies during the year.