China’s foreign‑trade landscape expanded in 2025 as nine provinces and municipalities crossed the 1 trillion RMB mark in annual import‑export turnover, a sign that the country’s economic gravity is shifting beyond the traditional eastern seaboard. Nationally, China’s total goods trade reached 45.47 trillion RMB, up 3.8% year‑on‑year, while Guangdong remained in a league of its own with more than 9 trillion RMB. Anhui’s breakthrough to 1.0136 trillion RMB made it the first central province to reach that threshold and the ninth subnational economy overall to enter the "trillion‑RMB club."
Anhui’s performance was striking in both speed and structure: total trade grew 17.3% year‑on‑year, outpacing the other top ten trading provinces, with exports of 682.31 billion RMB and imports of 331.25 billion RMB. The province’s December trade alone hit a monthly record of 111.84 billion RMB, up 35.9%, underscoring an acceleration late in the year. Over the longer "14th Five‑Year" period Anhui’s trade has compounded rapidly, climbing from 545.15 billion RMB at the end of the previous planning cycle to more than 1 trillion today.
The engine behind Anhui’s surge is industrial upgrading grounded in mass manufacturing rather than a narrow pursuit of premium niches. Anhui exported 1.228 million vehicles (including chassis) in 2025, the first Chinese province to surpass one million annual auto exports, and its electric vehicle shipments alone generated 60.85 billion RMB — a more than threefold increase. The province’s "new three" industries — electric vehicles, lithium‑ion batteries and photovoltaic products — together accounted for 101.83 billion RMB of exports, nearly 15% of provincial shipments, while mechanical and electrical goods now make up over 70% of exports.
Industrial scale is visible in Anhui’s large enterprises above the national revenue threshold ("designated‑size industrial enterprises"), which recorded revenue of 5.27 trillion RMB in January–November 2025, placing the province fifth nationwide and the only inland economy in that top quintile. That scale reflects sustained catch‑up: Anhui’s designated‑size industrial revenue rose from 3.8 trillion RMB in 2020 to around 5.5 trillion RMB in 2024. Officials and local scholars credit a pragmatic, full‑range manufacturing strategy that supplies both low‑cost and higher‑spec products to a broad set of foreign markets.
Trade diversification has also been essential. Anhui saw positive trade growth with 189 countries and regions in 2025, with ASEAN as its largest partner at 141.5 billion RMB and Belt‑and‑Road economies accounting for a majority — 550.33 billion RMB, or 54% of provincial trade. Local policy has actively promoted outbound market development and cross‑border industrial links, while state and private capital — including a heavy year of listed‑company acquisitions by local state capital — have been redeployed into automotive parts, displays and smart terminals to deepen supply chains.
Anhui’s rise has real regional consequences. Henan, historically the central region’s trade leader, moved within sight of the trillion mark at 935.67 billion RMB in 2025 after posting 14.1% growth, driven by upgrading in electronics and a sharp rise in electric‑vehicle exports. Hubei, another interior heavyweight, recorded 8.34 trillion RMB in trade and the highest growth in the central region in 2025, and is mobilizing large exhibition and market‑development campaigns for 2026. The competition among Anhui, Henan and Hubei to gain scale and industrial density is likely to intensify and will shape inward investment flows, talent allocation and provincial industrial policy.
For foreign firms and policymakers, the takeaway is that China’s geographic economic map is becoming more complex. The tilt toward inland provinces with deepening manufacturing ecosystems reduces the exclusive primacy of coastal hubs, offering new sourcing opportunities but also spreading strategic industrial capabilities across a broader territory. Yet risks remain: continued momentum will depend on external demand for EVs, batteries and PV products, the resilience of global supply chains, and the provinces’ ability to climb value chains through sustained innovation rather than only scale or cost advantages.