Linyi in East China's Shandong province has witnessed a significant boost in foreign trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to Linyi Customs, in the first eight months of 2025, the city's imports and exports with these countries reached 83.33 billion yuan ($11.71 billion), up 5.1 percent year-on-year. This accounted for 72.6 percent of the city's total foreign trade value.

The "Linyi enterprises team up to go global" initiative has brought about impressive results. Market procurement exports to BRI countries amounted to 38.14 billion yuan, a 29.4 percent increase. Linyi's enterprises have also made remarkable inroads into emerging markets like Africa. For example, trade with Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya saw surges of 149.7 percent, 161.4 percent, 191.5 percent, and 163.8 percent, respectively.

Not only has the trade volume increased, but the structure of exported products has also improved. Traditional strong products such as clothing and auto parts saw steady growth. Meanwhile, new products like photovoltaic products and electric vehicles saw a 73.9 percent increase in exports. On the import side, metal ore sands, a key import, surged by 104.9 percent.