On May 26, 2026, the foreign trade field ushered in many important developments.
The Ministry of Commerce officially announced a new policy to stabilize foreign investment and continue to optimize the business environment for foreign companies; the China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Forum was launched in Kuala Lumpur, and regional supply chain cooperation was upgraded; China-Africa zero-tariff cooperation continued to be effective; global shipping levels stabilized, and the situation between the United States and Iran eased; steel raw material prices increased, and manufacturing export costs came under pressure.
In terms of domestic and foreign trade trends, the Ministry of Commerce has introduced major new policies to stabilize the basic market of foreign investment and foreign trade.
News came out today at the Qingdao Summit of Multinational Corporation Leaders held by the State Council Information Office that the Ministry of Commerce has made it clear that it will fully implement domestic reinvestment support policies for foreign-funded enterprises and continue to implement national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises.
In the future, we will support foreign-funded enterprises to participate in various domestic market activities, hold roundtable exchange meetings with foreign-funded enterprises on a regular basis, dynamically update the list of key foreign-invested projects, carry out special service guarantee actions for foreign enterprises, stabilize the confidence of foreign investment in China, drive the continued expansion of import and export trade, and consolidate the foundation for foreign trade growth.
On May 26, the China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Forum and the Third Chain Expo Promotion Conference were successfully held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This forum focuses on the three core directions of regional supply chain reconstruction, technological innovation cooperation, and cross-border industrial collaboration. Representatives from ASEAN countries expressed their intention to deeply connect with China’s industrial chain resources and actively participate in the construction of the third Chain Expo.
The two sides will deepen cooperation in mechanical and electrical, new energy, cross-border e-commerce, and agricultural product trade, and jointly build a stable, open, and sustainable regional supply chain system to help bilateral trade continue to grow steadily.
Today, the China-Congo Business and Trade Fair was successfully held in Brazzaville, the capital of Congo (Brazzaville). Relying on China’s zero-tariff policy with all 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, the two sides reached a number of business cooperation agreements.
Officials from many African countries stated that the zero-tariff policy has lowered the threshold for exporting African specialty agricultural products and industrial raw materials to China, driving local industrial development and employment growth.
Currently, the activity of two-way trade between China and Africa continues to rise, becoming the core track for foreign trade companies to explore incremental markets.
However, domestic steel raw material prices have increased, putting manufacturing and export companies’ costs under pressure.
Domestic mainstream steel mills have implemented price adjustments. Core steel production areas such as Shandong and Hebei have uniformly raised coke purchase prices. Wet-quenched coke has been raised by 50 yuan/ton, and dry-quenched coke has been raised by 55 yuan/ton.
Rising prices of raw materials have driven up the production costs of export products such as steel, hardware, machinery, and steel structures. Relevant foreign trade companies need to calculate costs in a timely manner, optimize their quotation systems, lock in order profits in advance, and avoid the risk of raw material price fluctuations.
In terms of international foreign trade dynamics, the US-Iran negotiations have achieved a key breakthrough, and shipping risks in the Middle East have been significantly mitigated.
After multi-party mediation by Qatar, the United States and Iran reached consensus on key issues such as the unfreezing of funds and the navigation of the Strait.
The United States ensures smooth shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, easing the logistics crisis caused by geopolitical disturbances in the Middle East.
Currently, the risk of shipping congestion and suspension in the Persian Gulf has been reduced, and the international oil price has fluctuated and fallen, which is beneficial to the stable operation of domestic energy, chemical industry, and cross-border maritime foreign trade enterprises.
Global shipping freight rates have stabilized at high levels, and shipping space remains tight during the peak season.
After multiple rounds of price increases, today the global shipping freight rates on main routes have stabilized at a high level, and the freight rates on European, American, and Red Sea routes have suspended their unilateral surge.
However, due to the impact of the peak stocking peak in overseas peak seasons, major ports are in short supply of shipping space, and cabin explosions, container dumps, and shipping delays occur frequently.
The price increase plans of major shipping companies in June remain unchanged, and short-term shipping costs will remain high. Foreign trade companies need to lock cabins and prices in advance to ensure delivery timeliness.
Compliance supervision in Southeast Asia continues to be strict, and customs declaration verification has been upgraded.
ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam continue to tighten import inspection standards and strictly investigate violations such as low declarations, inconsistent product names, missing documents, and fake origins.
Recently, the port inspection rate in many countries has increased by more than 30%, and cases of cargo detention, fines, and returns have increased. Enterprises exporting to Southeast Asia need to strictly standardize customs declaration materials, ensure consistent documents, and compliant declarations to reduce customs clearance risks.
The United States continues to tighten its trade monitoring with China, and compliance risks in key categories have increased.
The U.S. Customs has strengthened traceability inspections of imported goods from China, and carried out spot checks on origin, tariff classification, and compliance certification for mechanical and electrical, textile, household, and new energy ancillary products.
As the Sino-US tariff negotiation window opens in the second half of the year, bilateral trade supervision and barrier games may increase. Foreign trade companies need to improve product compliance information and make risk plans in advance.
Today, favorable domestic and foreign trade policies continue to be released. The three major dividends of foreign investment support, ASEAN cooperation, and zero tariffs between China and Africa are superimposed, and the fundamentals of foreign trade continue to be stable.
On the international side, shipping risks in the Middle East have been significantly alleviated, and ocean freight rates have temporarily stopped rising and stabilized. However, import regulations in Southeast Asia and the United States continue to be strict, and rising domestic raw material prices have brought cost pressures.
It is recommended that foreign trade companies seize the blue ocean market opportunities in ASEAN and Africa, control customs declaration and product certification risks in compliance, lock in shipping and raw material costs in advance, steadily promote the delivery of peak season orders, and avoid multiple uncertain risks.
