618.46 billion yuan!
This is an astonishing figure for China’s cross-border e-commerce import and export volume in the first quarter of 2026, with a year-on-year increase of 22.1%.
A year ago, the market was still full of voices that spoke ill of China’s exports, such as “order transfer” and “foreign capital withdrawal”.
However, cross-border e-commerce has used a brilliant report card to silence all the bearers.
Specific data shows that exports were 473.55 billion yuan and imports were 144.91 billion yuan.
Exports alone amount to nearly 500 billion. On average, more than 5 billion Chinese goods are sold around the world through cross-border e-commerce every day.
This means that every day, “Made in China” worth more than 5 billion is purchased by consumers around the world through a few clicks on the mobile phone screen.
The United States announced that it would impose tariffs on Chinese goods to a maximum of 245%. Temu and Shein immediately announced that they would raise prices in the United States by 10%-30%. However, China’s cross-border e-commerce still maintains strong growth.
This fully embodies “you sanction yours, and I develop mine.” Sanctions have not blocked market demand. Consumer choice is the passport for the market.
From “world factory” to “global brand”, China’s cross-border e-commerce has achieved a qualitative leap.
My friend Lao Zhang, who works on Amazon, doubled his sales last year, and increased by 40% in the first quarter of this year.
He lamented: “In the past, we were OEMs for foreigners, but now foreigners have identified Chinese brands.”
Alibaba’s AliExpress brand GMV increased by more than 40% last year, and this year it plans to help 2,000 Chinese brands double their overseas expansion.
Xiaohongshu Redshop will be launched overseas in June, with the first batch targeting markets such as the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.
TikTok Shop is accelerating its European expansion and will soon enter Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Domestic cars are also making a splash in the global market. Sales of electric cars by Chinese brands in Europe surged by 94% year-on-year, and sales in Australia and New Zealand doubled.
From BYD’s “Seal” to NIO’s battery swap stations, Chinese electric vehicles rely on solid technology and quality.
When foreigners purchase toys, pet products, household products, sports equipment and other categories, shipments have increased by 25% to 52%.
European countries such as Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands have seen double-digit growth in parcel volumes. Europe has replaced the United States as the fastest-growing market for China’s cross-border e-commerce.
Behind this is a fundamental change in European consumers’ perception of “Chinese brands”. From “Made in China” to “Chinese brands”, we have successfully taken this step.
The prosperity of e-commerce overseas cannot be separated from the support of national policies.
This year’s “Government Work Report” clearly proposes to promote the expansion, upgrading and standardized and orderly development of the cross-border e-commerce plus overseas warehouse model.
Starting from April 1, customs across the country will comprehensively promote the cross-customs return model for cross-border e-commerce retail exports, making returns no longer “painful”.
At the same time, it innovatively launched the “TIR + cross-border e-commerce” logistics model to significantly reduce transportation time and logistics costs.
There are also “pre-supervised warehouses” to reduce customs clearance time and logistics costs.
In March, the customs teamed up with 24 ministries and commissions to deploy a new round of special actions to facilitate cross-border trade, and the number of pilot cities was expanded from 25 to 45.
Six departments jointly issued opinions and proposed 16 measures in 5 aspects to promote the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce.
Overseas warehouses are the key to the “last mile” of cross-border e-commerce.
The “front store and back warehouse” model has become standard. Cross-border e-commerce stores goods in target market warehouses in advance, and ships them directly after orders are placed. They can be delivered in three to five days, achieving local distribution and local after-sales.
Overseas warehouses in 24 countries have completely realized a closed loop of localized services. Products that can be shipped from overseas warehouses have a conversion rate that is at least 30% higher than cross-border direct mail products.
China Railway has established an overseas hub in Laem Chabang, Thailand, to provide bonded warehousing, customs coordination, distribution and consolidation, and comprehensive supply chain services.
Countries along the “Belt and Road” have become new highlands for foreign trade.
In the first quarter, the growth rate of imports and exports to countries co-building the “Belt and Road” was about 10 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate.
There were 5,460 China-Europe freight trains in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 15%, and the East Passage surged 49%.
The circle of friends of “Silk Road E-commerce” continues to expand, and the country proposes to innovate the “National Pavilion + Live Broadcast” channel to cultivate “one country, one hit product”.
Linyi International Trade Group has innovated the three-node collaborative model of “domestic consolidated warehouse + border park + overseas warehouse” to solve the pain points of traditional international road logistics.
From “going out” to “going in”, Chinese companies have taken root in the global supply chain.
Ten years ago, cross-border e-commerce was still a new thing, but now the entire ecosystem has completely changed.
Lao Zhang’s company’s overseas warehouse area continues to expand, and he firmly stated that he will continue to expand overseas markets.
China’s door is opening wider and wider, and Chinese goods are traveling further and further. China’s cross-border e-commerce will surely usher in more brilliant development in the future.
