This aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 27, 2025 shows cargo ships loading and unloading containers at Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

China's foreign trade in goods grew by 3.8 percent year-on-year to reach 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.51 trillion) in 2025, hitting a new record high, official data showed on Wednesday.

The country continues to maintain its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods last year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

In 2025, China's exports grew by 6.1 percent year-on-year to reach 26.99 trillion yuan, while imports grew by 0.5 percent year-on-year to reach 18.48 trillion yuan, the data showed.

It's worth noting that China's export market is increasingly diversified last year. The country has established trade ties with over 240 countries and regions, and its trade with over 190 countries and regions reporting positive growth.

The data highlighted a 6.3 percent year-on-year increase in trade with Belt and Road countries to reach 23.6 trillion yuan, accounting for 51.9 percent of the country's total foreign trade value. 

Last year, China's trade with the ASEAN grew by 8 percent year-on-year to reach 7.55 trillion yuan, trade with Latin America rose 6.5 percent year-on-year to 3.93 trillion yuan, and trade with Africa jumped 18.4 percent year-on-year to reach 2.49 trillion yuan, according to the GAC.

In 2025, China's exports of high-tech products climbed 13.2 percent year-on-year to reach 5.25 trillion yuan. The exports of "new trio" - which includes electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products - soared by 27.1 percent year-on-year, while the exports of green products such as wind turbines rose 48.7 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

China's exports of domestic brands grew by 12.9 percent year-on-year, with the proportion in total export value up by 1.4 percentage points, according to the GAC.

Against the backdrop of international trade volatility, China's import maintained growth for a consecutive of three quarters since the second quarter last year, with the import of machinery products growing by 5.7 percent year-on-year to reach 7.41 trillion yuan.