BYD cars wait to cross the border at the Gyirong Port. [Photo/IC]

Xizang autonomous region's foreign trade has accelerated rapidly during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), driven by expanding markets, upgraded ports and new trade models.

From January to October this year, exports of the region's new energy vehicles (NEVs), photovoltaic products and lithium batteries through Xizang ports reached 1.28 billion yuan ($181.57 million), including 10,741 NEVs, up 19.58 percent year-on-year.

From 2021 to 2024, Xizang's total foreign trade reached 32.26 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of more than 40 percent. In 2024 alone, imports and exports hit 12.67 billion yuan, the highest since 2015. Xizang now trades with over 100 countries and regions, while trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative accounted for more than 70 percent of the total in the first 10 months of this year.

Policy support has strengthened market players. Targeted customs facilitation, export credit insurance and financial incentives have helped local private enterprises — which made up over 99 percent of trading firms in 2024 — become the main force in foreign trade.

Port capacity has also been upgraded. With five major ports now in operation, smart supervision systems have cut vehicle clearance times to mere seconds.

Two years after opening, Lektse Port has overseen the export of more than 8,000 live sheep and over 400 million yuan in consumer goods and NEVs. More than 500 nearby villagers now participate in loading, unloading and transport services, earning an average of over 4,000 yuan per month.

As the 15th Five-Year Plan period begins, Xizang aims to strengthen its role as a gateway to South Asia and advance high-quality development across the plateau.