Full sail ahead for city's exports thanks to shipbuilding, ICs and agriculture

Despite global economic complexities and geopolitical uncertainties, Dalian reported marked growth in foreign trade, showing vitality and resilience.

Dalian Customs data show the city in Liaoning province generated 166.21 billion yuan ($24.52 billion) in imports and exports during the first four months of 2026, an 8.3 percent year-on-year increase, setting a record and accounting for nearly 64 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume. Its exports grew by 18.9 percent year-on-year 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 specialty agricultural products.

From January to April, Dalian exported vessels worth 15.56 billion yuan, a year-on-year surge of 118 percent. Integrated circuit exports maintained rapid growth, reaching 8.43 billion yuan and jumping 91.5 percent year-on-year, while exports of specialty agricultural products reached 11.83 billion yuan, up 13.5 percent.

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 delivered the world's first methanol dual-fuel intelligent VLCC (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 percent and sulfur oxide emissions by 99 percent.

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 has developed an industrial pattern characterized 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 percent of the global share. Currently, its order backlog represents 15.2 percent 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 Northeast 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 percent.

Significant progress was made in the "AI plus" initiative, with large models for software engineering and intelligent chemical processes being used in industrial scenarios.

The commercialization of technological achievements accelerated, with the city's total contract value for technological transactions reaching 6.95 billion yuan, a 25.2 percent increase year-on-year.

From continuous breakthroughs in the high-quality development of the semiconductor and integrated circuit industries to the formation of a new-generation information technology industrial cluster valued at 200 billion yuan, Dalian is forging ahead to foster and expand emerging industries, promoting large-scale applications of new technologies, products and scenarios, and driving the large-scale growth of these industries.

The city's industrial strengths and development vision have attracted high-quality foreign investment projects.

Among them, semiconductor manufacturer SK Hynix's Phase III production facilities will begin operation in the third quarter, and Prime Planet Energy& Solutions' pure electric vehicle battery project is set for trial production by the end of the year.

Dalian's premium agricultural products are renowned both domestically and internationally.

On March 29, a shipment of 675 kilograms of Dalian-grown cherries arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. After more than 20 hours of flight, it marked the first time Dalian cherries had entered into the European Union market.

Customs data show that from 2021 to 2025, Dalian's sweet cherry exports achieved growth in four consecutive years, reaching 12 countries and regions, including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as Central Asia and the Middle East.

Dalian has also established 32 national marine ranches to date. In 2025, the city's seafood output reached 2.87 million metric tons and its fisheries output value amounted to 49.73 billion yuan, reflecting year-on-year growth rates of 5.1 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Moreover, Dalian's international influence is evident in its overseas investment, service outsourcing and the apparel industry.

Pulandian district is now home to more than 400 textile and apparel enterprises, including industry leader Dayang Group, with an annual combined production capacity of 82 million garments.

Evolving from being a manufacturer of other brands to creating its own, Dalian's fashion industry has reaped results through innovation. Its fashion brands have reached more than 40 countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia, carving a niche in the global high-end custom fashion market with exquisite craftsmanship.

Dalian, a city prospering by the sea, is weaving a global connectivity network with its robust industrial strength and spirit of openness and innovation.