He Yongqian, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

China-Central Asia economic and trade cooperation achieved fruitful results in 2025, under the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, with goods trade surpassing the $100 billion threshold for the first time, reaching $106.3 billion, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

China has become the largest trading partner of all Central Asian countries, with the overall regional goods trade showed the several features last year, said the spokesperson.

He Yongqian, the spokesperson, said that the growth momentum of trade with the regional countries remained strong, with goods trade grew by 12 percent year-on-year, and with both imports rose by 14 percent and exports increased by 11 percent. Central Asia has become one of the fastest-growing regions for China's foreign trade.

Moreover, the trade structure is upgrading toward new growth areas and with higher quality. China's exports to Central Asia focus on expanding incremental growth through new development, with mechanical and electrical products accounting for more than 55 percent of exports, and the market share of the "new three" - new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products - steadily expanding, said the MOFCOM spokesperson.

Also, imports from Central Asia focus on stabilizing the existing base while upgrading toward higher quality, with a growing range of premium specialty products from Central Asian countries reaching households across China.

Against the backdrop of the booming trade in new sectors, new forms of business are also flourishing. The spokesperson said that cross-border e-commerce trade reached $800 million last year, with growth exceeding 20 percent. Enterprises on both sides are actively promoting the construction of overseas warehouses and border warehouses, while expanding and scaling up cross-border payment cooperation, He said.

Moreover, China and the regional countries are actively advancing cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is accelerating, the spokesperson said, noting that a large number of cooperation projects in automobile assembly, oil and gas and petrochemicals, clean energy, and industrial park development have been launched in succession.

Looking ahead, the ministry will fully implement the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit, step up efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of economic and trade cooperation, promote higher-level institutional arrangements, and further optimize the trade structure, according to the spokesperson. 

The ministry will also foster new forms of business, including trade in services, green trade and digital trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment, injecting sustained momentum into building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, she said.

Global Times