BEIJING: Despite global economic complexities and geopolitical uncertainties, Dalian has reported marked growth in foreign trade, showing vitality and resilience.
Dalian Customs data show the city in Liaoning province generated 166.21 billion yuan in imports and exports during the first four months of 2026, an 8.3% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase, setting a record and accounting for nearly 64% of the province’s total foreign trade volume.
Its exports grew by 18.9% y-o-y to 88.21 billion yuan during the period, surpassing national average growth.
Behind the upswing in trade are the city’s three dynamic sectors: shipbuilding, integrated circuits and speciality agricultural products. From January to April, Dalian exported vessels worth 15.56 billion yuan, a y-o-y surge of 118%.
Integrated circuit exports maintained rapid growth, reaching 8.43 billion yuan and jumping 91.5% y-o-y, while exports of speciality agricultural products reached 11.83 billion yuan, up 13.5%.
With the global shipbuilding industry shifting toward green, intelligent and high-end operations, Dalian’s shipbuilding sector has drawn on a century of industrial heritage, focusing on technological breakthroughs to overcome critical challenges.
Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) delivered the world’s first methanol dual-fuel intelligent very large crude carrier, the New Explorer, in December, four months ahead of schedule.
It features a domestically produced methanol dual-fuel main engine and a methanol fuel supply system.
Compared with conventional fuel, it reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 92% and sulfur oxide emissions by 99%.
DSIC is currently constructing the world’s first ammonia dual-fuel tanker, slated for delivery in 2028.
The city is now home to over 100 shipbuilding and offshore engineering support enterprises, covering industries such as marine engines, crankshafts, navigation and outfitting components.
Driven by leading enterprises, Dalian developed an industrial pattern characterised by “multiple pillars and coordinated development” across Changxing Island, Dalian Bay and Lyushunkou district.
In 2025, Dalian’s shipbuilding completion volume accounted for 7.8% of the global share. Currently, its order backlog represents 15.2% of the global total.
Over the next three to five years, one out of every seven new ships worldwide will come from Dalian, local media reported.
As a key driver of the city’s foreign trade development, the Dalian High-Tech Industrial Zone, which has been designated as one of the country’s first batch of national digital service export bases, is now home to over 20,000 registered enterprises.
They include more than 140 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders such as Accenture, IBM, Genpact, HiThink and Neusoft – with their business footprint spanning over 10 countries and regions, including North-East Asia, North America and Europe.
In the first quarter, Dalian’s emerging industries demonstrated strong growth momentum.
Revenue from the software and information technology service sector increased by 3.1%.
Significant progress was made in the “AI plus” initiative, with large models for software engineering and intelligent chemical process being used in industrial scenarios.
The commercialisation of technological achievements accelerated, with the city’s total contract value for technological transactions reaching 6.95 billion yuan, a 25.2% increase y-o-y. — China Daily/ANN
