Shenzhen’s foreign trade is accelerating its transformation towards “new” and “green” technologies to consolidate its advantage of “selling globally”.

In 2025, Shenzhen’s total foreign trade import and export volume jumped to the top among Chinese cities. In the new year, Shenzhen is actively exploring ways to further solidify its advantages and expand new growth points in foreign trade. At the beginning of the new year, Shenzhen Bay Port was bustling with activity, with a constant flow of vehicles at the 24-hour uninterrupted gates, and “Made in China” products being shipped overseas. This is Shenzhen Bay Port, where Shenzhen’s first shipment of the new year is clearing customs. As seen on the customs declaration, this “first shipment of the new year” is a batch of cleaning robots, packed with new features. The deputy head of the Second Inspection Section of Shenzhen Bay Customs explained that at the beginning of the year, high-value-added, intelligent products such as cleaning robots have become the main export products from Shenzhen Bay Port. The proportion of new products and technologies has increased significantly, with high-tech products accounting for nearly half of the export value through this port. Following the first customs declaration of the new year, the reporter found a cleaning robot manufacturer. Currently, the company is working hard to complete the delivery of overseas orders, while in the R&D laboratory, the debugging of a new product—a body-bound intelligent robot dog—is also progressing simultaneously. The company’s head stated that the robot dog was just released last month and has already received several hundred overseas orders; more than a dozen new products will be launched in 2026. In Shenzhen, there are 1,333 national-level specialized and innovative “little giant” enterprises like this, focusing on innovative product development, ranking first among cities nationwide. To help more high-tech products enter the international market, Shenzhen held a special matchmaking event at the beginning of the year. In a coffee shop, companies displayed their products directly on the table and negotiated face-to-face with multiple overseas service providers. In just over an hour, more than 10 companies reached cooperation agreements on-site. The company representative stated that they sold over 200,000 sets of their products in 2025 and plan to expand overseas in 2026. They have service providers offering a “one-stop” service to help them sell their products abroad. [Image of company matchmaking event] It is understood that many Shenzhen technology companies, although not having separate foreign trade departments, still sell their products overseas, thanks to an increasingly comprehensive overseas service system. In the Xinghe Industrial Park in Longgang, Shenzhen, over 100 overseas service companies are gathered. This place is like a service supermarket, where companies can purchase all the services they need for overseas expansion in one place. From customs clearance to logistics to intellectual property services, one building houses the entire service chain for foreign trade companies going global. With the new year just beginning, many companies are already busy developing new foreign trade service businesses. The company’s head introduced that business saw approximately 30% growth at the start of 2026, and has already added over 100 new clients. In 2026, Shenzhen will simultaneously focus on key aspects such as market expansion, customs clearance, and logistics, improving supporting facilities for new business models like cross-border e-commerce and bonded trade, and promoting the export of products from specialized and innovative enterprises. Officials from the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce stated that they will further enrich and improve Shenzhen’s rainforest-like industrial ecosystem, continuously consolidating its “selling globally” advantage through “manufacturing high-end products,” and vigorously promoting the development of strategic emerging industries, future industries, and export commodities towards “newness, greenness, and intelligence,” thus developing and strengthening new drivers of foreign trade growth. In addition to moving towards “newness,” Shenzhen’s foreign trade is also accelerating its pace towards “greenness.” At the beginning of the new year, a new production line of a green packaging company in Shenzhen officially went into operation. Waste plastics are reprocessed and ultimately transformed into environmentally friendly packaging for high-end cosmetics, shipped to overseas markets. The company’s head explained that waste plastic bottles, after cleaning and purification, can be made into recycled plastic particles, which are then processed into green products. Moving towards a “green” future, companies’ production plans are already booked three months in advance, with a promising outlook for 2026. Many brands are focusing more on green and sustainable solutions. In company laboratories, R&D personnel are testing non-grain biomass raw materials such as corn cobs and straw, using new processes to convert them into bio-based materials suitable for packaging, reducing carbon emissions at the source. Furthermore, the logistics and transportation of foreign trade products are becoming increasingly green. At the beginning of the new year, multiple clean energy devices officially went into operation in the core operating area of Shenzhen Yantian Port. Compared with traditional diesel-powered equipment, they produce almost no carbon emissions, enabling cargo transportation to achieve a green “acceleration.” Yantian Port has achieved 100% coverage of its shore power system, built three battery swapping stations, and clean energy trailers account for over 60% of its fleet. Officials at Yantian International Container Terminal stated that they will continue to promote clean energy substitution in 2026, further enhancing the port’s digitalization, intelligence, and greening levels. From enterprises to logistics to platforms, the construction of Shenzhen’s green trade system has accelerated across the board since the beginning of the year. At the Shenzhen carbon footprint labeling and certification public service platform, staff are conducting final debugging before integrating it into the International Trade Single Window, enabling broader applications of carbon footprint accounting. Officials from the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration stated that in 2026, more platforms will be integrated, providing proactive services, offering “one-stop” services for international trade, expanding acceptance channels, and promoting the inclusion of carbon footprint certified products in government procurement and green finance, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of export products.