According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January to May this year, my country’s total import and export value of goods trade was 20.68 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%.
Among them, imports increased by 20.5% and exports increased by 11.8%.
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Commerce held on June 11, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce said that since the beginning of this year, faced with the complex and severe international political and economic situation, China’s foreign trade has withstood the pressure and continued a good trend of stability and progress.
There were many foreign trade highlights in the first five months of this year.
First, import potential continues to be released.
From January to May, the import scale hit a record high for the same period in history.
Among them, imports of high-tech products increased by 31.2%, and bulk commodities and consumer goods also maintained rapid growth.
China’s ultra-large market advantages continue to explode, providing trading partners with broad development space.
Second, the export structure continues to be optimized.
Thanks to a complete and efficient production and supply chain system, China’s commodity supply is stable, quality is reliable, and technology is advanced, and its global recognition continues to rise.
From January to May, exports of mechanical and electrical products increased by 18.4%, accounting for over 63%.
Integrated circuit exports performed strongly, and the “three new” products such as electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics continued to lead the world.
The third is to promote the diversified market in depth.
China continues to deeply explore the global market, and its trade layout has become more balanced and stable.
From January to May, imports and exports to countries jointly building the “Belt and Road” increased by 13.6%, accounting for over 51%. ASEAN, the European Union, Africa, and Latin America all maintained double-digit growth, and the “circle of friends” for win-win cooperation is getting wider and wider.
As for China’s push to achieve zero-tariff trade with Africa, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce stated that China will implement a two-year comprehensive zero-tariff initiative with 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with Africa starting from May 1, 2026, while continuing to promote the negotiation and signing of an economic partnership agreement for common development.
This is a major measure taken by China to unswervingly expand high-level opening up to the outside world and implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
In the context of unilateralism and protectionism that have brought difficult challenges to African countries, China has taken advantage of its ultra-large market and proactively opened its market to achieve common development.
Since its implementation, the measure has been widely welcomed by African countries and highly appreciated by the international community.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce also said: “No matter how complex and changing the external environment is, China will unswervingly promote high-level opening up, take more pragmatic measures, stabilize exports, expand imports, and inject more stability and positive energy into the world economy.”
In terms of trade in services, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January 2026 –
In April, my country’s total service import and export volume was 2.48532 billion yuan (RMB, the same below), a year-on-year increase of 4.9%.
Among them, personal cultural and entertainment services and intellectual property royalties grew the fastest, with growth rates of 39.5% and 20.8% respectively.
In recent years, driven by policy support and industrial development, the international competitiveness of “China Services” has been continuously improved, especially the export of knowledge-intensive services has achieved rapid growth.
From January to April this year, my country’s service exports reached 985 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%.
Among them, the export of knowledge-intensive services increased by 11.7%, accounting for 55.2% of the total service exports.
So-called knowledge-intensive services cover intellectual property, culture and entertainment and other fields.
For example, in the field of intellectual property, data from relevant research institutions show that the amount of external authorization of my country’s innovative drugs has repeatedly hit new highs, accounting for more than 40% of the global market in 2025.
In the field of culture and entertainment, my country’s digital cultural products such as online articles, online dramas, and online games have set off the “Chinese whirlwind” around the world and have become a new engine for cultural consumption and cultural exports. The pace of “content + platform + model” overseas expansion has accelerated.
Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Commerce has conscientiously implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and has issued a series of policies in conjunction with relevant departments, including promoting the export of travel services, standardizing service trade, accelerating the construction of the National Service Trade Innovation Development Demonstration Zone and the National Digital Trade Demonstration Zone.
At the same time, we will continue to implement the “Thousand Sails to the Sea” action plan for foreign cultural trade to help cultural enterprises explore international markets.
In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will continue to implement relevant policies and accelerate the cultivation of new momentum for trade in services.
