A ro-ro ship carrying electric vehicles docks at Taicang Port in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on July 9, 2024. Photo: VCG

China ranks among the top three trading partners for 157 countries and regions in the world during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Monday.

A total of 519 cooperation documents were signed between Chinese customs authorities and their foreign counterparts, reflecting growing win-win international collaboration, said GAC Commissioner Sun Meijun at a press conference reviewing the country's trade achievements during the period.

Sun noted that Chinese customs supervised an average of 5.2 billion tons of import and export goods annually, valued at 41.5 trillion yuan ($5.79 trillion), making China the largest trading nation in the world while ensuring safety, stability, and controllability throughout the supply chain.

In 2024, China's trade with the Belt and Road partner countries reached 22 trillion yuan, accounting for more than half of its total foreign trade. Trade with emerging market economies — including ASEAN, Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia—grew by more than 10 percent.

Sun highlighted innovations in regulatory models for new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce, overseas warehousing, and "bonded-plus" activities, which have promoted coordinated development. These measures have accelerated the growth of new drivers in foreign trade and strengthened the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. 

And, exports are increasingly innovation-driven, with shipments of the so-called "new three" products—electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products—in 2024 growing 2.6 times compared to 2020.

Import sources have also diversified, with market access granted to 271 types of agricultural and food products from 81 additional countries and regions during the period. Imports of bulk commodities, advanced equipment, and key components now come from a broader range of sources in the world.

The regional structure of foreign trade in China has improved, with eastern or coastal provinces having stabilized export volume while upgrading quality, while central and western regions having gained new momentum, achieving an average annual growth rate of 7.9 percent.

From 2021 to 2025, China refurbished or expanded 40 ports, bringing the total to 311. This development has essentially formed a multi-dimensional port layout spanning land, sea, and air, covering eastern, central, and western regions of the country. 


Global Times