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22 de July de 2025 -

China Sets Historic Record in Foreign Trade During First Half of 2025

State Council Information Office Releases Import and Export Data

On July 14, 2025, the State Council Information Office held a press conference where Wang Lingjun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs, and Lü Daliang, Director of the Department of Statistical Analysis, presented China’s foreign trade performance for the first half of the year. The data shows that despite a complex and challenging external environment, China’s foreign trade demonstrated remarkable resilience, achieving a record high in import and export volumes for the first half-year period, with continuously optimized structure.

Steady Growth in Volume and Continuous Quality Improvement

In the first half of 2025, China’s total merchandise trade reached 21.79 trillion yuan (RMB), a year-on-year increase of 2.9%. Exports totaled 13 trillion yuan (up 7.2%), while imports stood at 8.79 trillion yuan (down 2.7%). In the second quarter, imports and exports grew by 4.5% year-on-year, accelerating from the first quarter and marking seven consecutive quarters of positive growth.

Key Highlights:

1. Diversified Trade Partnerships

      • Trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries amounted to 11.29 trillion yuan (up 4.7%), accounting for 51.8% of total trade.
      • Transactions with emerging markets such as ASEAN, Africa, and Central Asia saw growth exceeding 10%.

2. Strong Momentum in High-Quality Exports

      • Exports of electromechanical products reached 7.8 trillion yuan (+9.5%), representing 60% of total exports.
      • High-end equipment and the “three new green products” (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products) showed notable growth, with industrial robot exports surging by 61.5%.

3. Import Recovery Driven by Domestic Demand

      • Imports turned positive in Q2, with increased demand for key components like machinery and electronic parts.
      • Import volumes of crude oil and metal ores rose, though price declines weighed on overall growth.

4. Vitality of Private Enterprises

      • Private enterprises recorded 12.48 trillion yuan in foreign trade (+7.3%), raising their share to 57.3%.
      • Over 80% of specialized and innovative “little giants” (high-tech SMEs) were private firms, with high-tech product exports growing by 12.5%.

Challenges and Measures

Despite positive performance, rising global unilateralism and protectionism have added uncertainty. The General Administration of Customs emphasized continued efforts to modernize customs procedures and facilitate cross-border trade to sustain stability.

Outlook for the Second Half

Foreign trade is expected to remain stable, supported by domestic economic recovery and government policies. However, factors such as slowing global trade and geopolitical risks require ongoing monitoring.

Written by Wenyang Zhong

Source: scio