On June 11, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference.
Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong said at the press conference 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.
From January to May, the 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%.
Generally speaking, there are many bright spots in China’s foreign trade.
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.
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.
At the press conference, he also answered questions from other reporters.
Regarding the 34th China-New Zealand Joint Economic and Trade Committee, which was held in Beijing on June 5, China and New Zealand had an in-depth exchange of views on topics such as deepening bilateral economic and trade relations and strengthening cooperation in regional and multilateral fields.
The two sides agreed to jointly advance negotiations on the negative list of trade in services under the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, strengthen communication and collaboration under regional and multilateral frameworks such as APEC and the WTO, and continue to support the rules-based multilateral trading system.
In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to make good use of the joint committee mechanism to further promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation, promote regional and multilateral agendas, and make greater contributions to building a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and New Zealand.
As for the growth of my country’s service trade exports from January to April, in recent years, driven by policy support and industrial development, the international competitiveness of “China Services” has continued to improve, especially knowledge-intensive service exports have 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.
Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Commerce, together with relevant departments, has introduced a series of policies, 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 addition, China will implement a two-year comprehensive zero-tariff initiative for 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China starting from May 1, 2026. At the same time, it will continue to promote the negotiation and signing of an economic partnership agreement for common development.
This move has been widely welcomed by African countries and highly appreciated by the international community.
