International: China’s total imports and exports of goods reached 25.47 trillion yuan in the first half of 2026, setting a new record and marking a 16.9 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

The figures were announced by Wang Chun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), during a press briefing held by the State Council Information Office on July 14.

Wang said China’s foreign trade maintained steady momentum during the first half of the year, with the quality of export products continuing to improve.

China’s exports rose 13.4 percent year-on-year to 14.73 trillion yuan during the January–June period. Among them, exports of machinery and electronic products increased 20.1 percent to 9.36 trillion yuan, accounting for 63.5 percent of the country’s total exports—an increase of 3.5 percentage points from a year earlier.

During the same period, exports of high-tech products and domestically developed brands grew by 39 percent and 25.4 percent, respectively.

Wang said imports also maintained strong growth. In the first six months of the year, China imported goods worth 10.74 trillion yuan, up 22.1 percent from the same period in 2025.

He noted that private enterprises continued to play an increasingly important role in the country’s foreign trade. During the first half of the year, imports and exports by privately owned companies reached 14.53 trillion yuan, an increase of 17 percent year-on-year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of China’s total foreign trade.

Over the same period, imports and exports by foreign-invested enterprises rose 17.1 percent, while those of state-owned enterprises increased 16.8 percent.

Wang also said that imports and exports in eastern China exceeded 20 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, up 16.5 percent year-on-year and accounting for 78.8 percent of the country’s total foreign trade.

Meanwhile, foreign trade in western, central and northeastern China grew by 20.3 percent, 20 percent, and 8.6 percent, respectively.

According to Wang, China’s trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reached 12.97 trillion yuan during the first six months of 2026, up 14.8 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 50.9 percent of the country’s total foreign trade.

During the same period, China’s trade with Latin America, Africa and the European Union increased by 16.2 percent, 19.6 percent, and 10.2 percent, respectively.

Source: Anupama, Alim and Shishir, China Media Group (CMG).