The latest foreign trade data released by the General Administration of Customs shows that in the first five months of 2026, my country’s import and export of goods trade showed a good trend of steady progress and eye-catching growth, and overall continued high-quality growth.
The total import and export value of national trade in goods reached 20.68 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%.
Among them, exports were 11.91 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.8%; imports were 8.77 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%. The growth rate of imports was significantly higher than that of exports, and the trade supply and demand structure continued to optimize.
Judging from single-month data, my country’s foreign trade import and export scale continued to expand in May. The total import and export value for that month was 4.45 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.9%, and the growth rate further accelerated.
This shows that my country’s foreign trade is constantly expanding its market and trade vitality continues to increase.
my country’s monthly import and export of goods trade has exceeded 4 trillion yuan for three consecutive months, continuing to maintain a high operating range, fully demonstrating the strong development resilience of my country’s foreign trade, abundant market vitality, and solid advantages in the global trade pattern.
In terms of market structure, ASEAN ranks firmly as my country’s largest trading partner.
In the first five months, the bilateral trade volume reached 3.52 trillion yuan, an increase of 16.6%.
This shows the close trade ties between China and ASEAN, and the cooperation between the two sides in the field of trade continues to deepen.
Imports and exports to countries co-building the “Belt and Road” reached 10.57 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.6%. This reflects the positive role of the “Belt and Road” initiative in promoting the development of my country’s foreign trade and strengthening economic cooperation and exchanges between my country and countries along the route.
Imports and exports to Africa amounted to 1.14 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.2%. The zero-tariff policy has achieved remarkable results, further promoting the development of China-Africa trade.
It is worth mentioning that private enterprises have played an important role in my country’s foreign trade.
Private enterprises accounted for more than half of the import and export volume, an increase of 15.5%, becoming the main force driving foreign trade growth.
Relying on their flexible operating mechanisms and innovative capabilities, private enterprises have actively expanded international markets and made important contributions to the stable growth of my country’s foreign trade.
Overall, while my country’s foreign trade is growing steadily, it is accelerating its transformation and upgrading in the direction of high quality, diversification, and high added value.
Against the background of the complex and ever-changing global economic situation, my country’s foreign trade can maintain a good development trend, thanks to a series of policies to stabilize foreign trade issued by the Chinese government, as well as the innovation and efforts of enterprises themselves.
In the future, my country’s foreign trade is expected to continue to maintain steady development and inject new impetus into economic growth.
