On February 18, 2026, the foreign trade export field showed various dynamics. The following is a detailed introduction to the relevant situations.
1. Global market dynamics
In terms of Brazilian agricultural exports, corn performed well in the first week of February 2026 (February 1st to 6th).
Export volume reached 551,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 55.1%, showing a strong growth trend. The average daily export volume was 110,116 tons, and the average export price was US$239.5/ton, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%.
The export volume of soybeans during the same period was 1.184 million tons, but the average daily export volume decreased by 26.4% year-on-year, and the average export price was US$419.7 per ton, an increase of 6.1% year-on-year. This shows that the pace of soybean exports has slowed down, but the price has increased.
From the perspective of global economic and trade growth, the situation is grim.
Global trade growth is weak, and the growth rate of global trade in goods is expected to drop to 0.5% in 2026 from 2.4% in 2025.
Advanced economies are already showing signs of weakening in trade and manufacturing output, with business and consumer confidence declining and employment and income growth also slowing.
2. China’s export situation
Despite the sluggish global economic and trade growth, many institutions predict that China’s exports will still achieve steady growth of 5% – 6% in 2026.
This is due to the diversification of China’s export market and the upgrading of its commodity structure.
In terms of export market diversification, the non-US market performed outstandingly.
China’s exports to ASEAN, Latin America, the European Union, Africa and other non-U.S. markets have maintained rapid growth, and these markets have increasingly played an increasingly significant role in supporting China’s exports.
In the U.S. market, although the Sino-U.S. trade friction has eased, the growth rate of China’s exports to the U.S. may still be affected to a certain extent.
However, with the weakening of the tariff impact and the low base effect, the decline in China’s exports to the United States is expected to narrow.
In terms of export commodity structure, intermediate goods and capital goods have become the main driving force for China’s export growth, while consumer goods exports are under pressure.
This reflects that China’s export commodity structure is continuing to upgrade, with high-tech and high value-added products continuing to rise.
3. Policies and trade facilitation measures
Starting from January 1, 2026, China will implement export license management for some steel products, marking a new stage of steel export management.
At the same time, China has also optimized the import and export supervision measures for lithium thionyl chloride batteries and issued new regulations such as the “Management Regulations on Export Drug Inspection and Export Certificates for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers” to support pharmaceutical export trade.
In terms of trade facilitation, the General Administration of Customs and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued an announcement to implement electronic data online verification of the “Certificate of Tax Paid/Non-Refunded for Exported Goods” to optimize the port business environment and promote cross-border trade facilitation.
4. Regional and industry dynamics
In terms of regional dynamics, foreign trade in Jiangxi and other regions is improving quarter by quarter and is picking up steadily.
This is due to the implementation of a series of policies and measures to stabilize foreign trade by the General Administration of Customs and local governments, as well as the initiative of enterprises to adapt to changes and adjust their foreign trade market strategies.
In terms of industry trends, automobile exports performed brilliantly.
In January 2026, China’s automobile exports continued to maintain a high growth trend, especially the export of new energy vehicles.
Many car companies have stated that they will increase their efforts in automobile exports and build exports into the second growth pole.
The export of equipment manufacturing products has also maintained rapid growth, and its proportion in China’s total export value has continued to increase, which shows that the competitiveness of China’s equipment manufacturing industry in the international market continues to increase.
