A container ship loaded with foreign trade cargo sails into Qingdao Port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province on June 25, 2026. Photo: VCG

China's foreign trade stood at 25.47 trillion yuan ($3.75 trillion) in the first half of 2026, up 16.9 percent year-on-year, reaching a new high. China has firmly maintained its position as the world's largest goods trading nation, an official of the General Administration of Customs of China (GAC) said on Tuesday at a press conference for China's half-year trade performance.

In the first half of 2026, China's total goods imports and exports reached 25.47 trillion yuan, exceeding 25 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period on record, representing a 16.9 percent year-on-year increase, statistics from the GAC showed on Tuesday.

Exports stood at 14.73 trillion yuan, up 13.4 percent year-on-year, marking growth for 11 consecutive quarters. Imports totaled 10.74 trillion yuan, rising 22.1 percent year-on-year, which is 8.7 percentage points faster than exports, helping promote more balanced trade development.

In terms of what supported China's fast-growing imports, Wang Jun, vice minister of GAC, pointed to the country's super-scale market, steady economic performance and systematically broadened unilateral opening-up.

"China has been the world's second-largest import market for 17 consecutive years, with average annual growth of 5.1 percent, raising its share of global imports from 7.9 percent to around 10 percent. China has granted zero-tariff treatment to 63 countries and successfully hosting major international expos. In the first half of the year, imports from over 150 countries and regions increased," said Wang.

In terms of exports, China's product structure continued to improve. In the first half of the year, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 9.36 trillion yuan, up 20.1 percent year-on-year, accounting for 63.5 percent of total exports - an increase of 3.5 percentage points from the same period last year. High-tech product exports grew 39 percent to 3.26 trillion yuan, GAC statistics showed.

Speaking of the support factors of China's exports, Wang said on Tuesday that the fundamental driver is the precise alignment between Chinese manufacturing and diverse global demands.

"A United Nations report showed that global goods trade growth this year has been concentrated in artificial intelligence (AI)-related sectors. Surging demand for computing power, data centers, and terminal equipment has driven strong Chinese exports. In the first half of the year, exports of electronic components and computer parts posted double-digit growth, contributing a combined 6.9 percentage points to overall export growth," said Wang.

Wang also pointed to global green and low-carbon transition demand, which has created strong synergy with China's green products. In the first half of the year, exports of lithium batteries and wind turbines grew 37.6 percent and 35.6 percent respectively. Green mobility products such as electric vehicles, railway electric locomotives, electric motorcycles, and bicycles increased 68.7 percent, 45.1 percent, and 31.5 percent respectively.

Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the GAC, also noted that in the first half of the year, a significant share of China's exports was generated by foreign-invested enterprises.

"Foreign-invested enterprises are deeply rooted in China, producing in China for the global market and continuously creating profits for investors. They accounted for nearly 30 percent of exports to the EU and nearly 40 percent to South Korea. Their share also exceeded 30 percent in emerging markets such as Mexico and Vietnam," said Lü.

Seen from China's trade partners, diversified markets were further strengthened. Trade with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries reached 12.97 trillion yuan, up 14.8 percent year-on-year, accounting for 50.9 percent of total foreign trade. Trade with Latin America and Africa increased 16.2 percent and 19.6 percent respectively, while trade with the EU rose 10.2 percent.

Global Times