diff --git a/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/package.json b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c98adea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "name": "@e2e/auto-external-with-sub-path",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "react": "^18.3.1"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/rslib.config.ts b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/rslib.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..03252f35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/rslib.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { generateBundleCjsConfig, generateBundleEsmConfig } from '@e2e/helper';
+import { defineConfig } from '@rslib/core';
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  lib: [generateBundleEsmConfig(__dirname), generateBundleCjsConfig(__dirname)],
+  source: {
+    entry: {
+      main: './src/index.ts',
+    },
+  },
+});
diff --git a/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/src/index.ts b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/src/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..25bd8868
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path/src/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import ReactJsx from 'react/jsx-runtime';
+
+export const foo = () => {
+  return [React.version, ReactJsx.jsx];
+};
diff --git a/e2e/cases/auto-external/index.test.ts b/e2e/cases/auto-external/index.test.ts
index 223a9300..c47715f0 100644
--- a/e2e/cases/auto-external/index.test.ts
+++ b/e2e/cases/auto-external/index.test.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,25 @@ test('auto external default should works', async () => {
   );
 });
 
+test('auto external sub path should works', async () => {
+  const fixturePath = join(__dirname, 'external-sub-path');
+  const { entries } = await buildAndGetResults(fixturePath);
+
+  expect(entries.esm).toContain(
+    'import * as __WEBPACK_EXTERNAL_MODULE_react__ from "react"',
+  );
+  expect(entries.esm).toContain(
+    'import * as __WEBPACK_EXTERNAL_MODULE_react_jsx_runtime__ from "react/jsx-runtime"',
+  );
+
+  expect(entries.cjs).toContain(
+    'var external_react_namespaceObject = require("react");',
+  );
+  expect(entries.cjs).toContain(
+    'var jsx_runtime_namespaceObject = require("react/jsx-runtime");',
+  );
+});
+
 test('auto external false should works', async () => {
   const fixturePath = join(__dirname, 'false');
   const { entries } = await buildAndGetResults(fixturePath);
diff --git a/examples/react-component/rslib.config.ts b/examples/react-component/rslib.config.ts
index d9701100..561d3c6e 100644
--- a/examples/react-component/rslib.config.ts
+++ b/examples/react-component/rslib.config.ts
@@ -33,11 +33,5 @@ export default defineConfig({
       main: './src/index.tsx',
     },
   },
-  output: {
-    externals: {
-      react: 'react',
-      'react/jsx-runtime': 'react/jsx-runtime',
-    },
-  },
   plugins: [pluginReact()],
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/config.ts b/packages/core/src/config.ts
index 4c5a150f..98fa4e3a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/config.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/config.ts
@@ -125,10 +125,16 @@ export const composeAutoExternalConfig = (options: {
     }, [])
     .filter((name) => !userExternalKeys.includes(name));
 
+  const uniqueExternals = Array.from(new Set(externals));
+
   return externals.length
     ? {
         output: {
-          externals: Array.from(new Set(externals)),
+          externals: [
+            // Exclude dependencies, e.g. `react`, `react/jsx-runtime`
+            ...uniqueExternals.map((dep) => new RegExp(`^${dep}($|\\/|\\\\)`)),
+            ...uniqueExternals,
+          ],
         },
       }
     : {};
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/external.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/external.test.ts
index 95ab8288..343b35d7 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/external.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/external.test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,14 @@ describe('should composeAutoExternalConfig correctly', () => {
 
     expect(result).toEqual({
       output: {
-        externals: ['foo', 'foo1', 'baz'],
+        externals: [
+          /^foo($|\/|\\)/,
+          /^foo1($|\/|\\)/,
+          /^baz($|\/|\\)/,
+          'foo',
+          'foo1',
+          'baz',
+        ],
       },
     });
   });
@@ -49,7 +56,14 @@ describe('should composeAutoExternalConfig correctly', () => {
 
     expect(result).toEqual({
       output: {
-        externals: ['foo', 'foo1', 'baz'],
+        externals: [
+          /^foo($|\/|\\)/,
+          /^foo1($|\/|\\)/,
+          /^baz($|\/|\\)/,
+          'foo',
+          'foo1',
+          'baz',
+        ],
       },
     });
   });
@@ -75,7 +89,7 @@ describe('should composeAutoExternalConfig correctly', () => {
 
     expect(result).toEqual({
       output: {
-        externals: ['foo', 'bar'],
+        externals: [/^foo($|\/|\\)/, /^bar($|\/|\\)/, 'foo', 'bar'],
       },
     });
   });
@@ -109,7 +123,7 @@ describe('should composeAutoExternalConfig correctly', () => {
 
     expect(result).toEqual({
       output: {
-        externals: ['bar'],
+        externals: [/^bar($|\/|\\)/, 'bar'],
       },
     });
   });
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index fe4d20c2..aea969d9 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ importers:
         specifier: ^18.3.1
         version: 18.3.1
 
+  e2e/cases/auto-external/external-sub-path:
+    dependencies:
+      react:
+        specifier: ^18.3.1
+        version: 18.3.1
+
   e2e/cases/auto-external/false:
     dependencies:
       react: