Beijing (JLC), January 20, 2026—China's foreign trade registered 45.47 trillion (trn) yuan in 2025, up 3.8% year on year, data from the General Administration of Customs of the PRC (GACC) indicated.
This marked the ninth straight year of foreign trade expansion, consolidating China's position as the world's largest trading nation. Exports rose by 6.1% year on year to 26.99 trn yuan, while imports inched up by 0.5% to 18.48 trn yuan.
The growth of exports was driven by product quality upgrading. Exports of high-tech products saw an increase of 13.2% from the 2024 level, with exports of industrial robots rising by 48.7%, high-end machines by 21.5%, and special equipment by 20.6%. Notably, China became a net exporter of industrial robots in 2025. As for the green energy sector, exports of wind turbines, railway electric locomotives, and lithium batteries expanded by 48.7%, 26.2%, and 27.1%, respectively.
In 2025, China's imports saw growth for three consecutive quarters beginning in Q2, securing the country's position as the world's second-largest importer for the 17th consecutive year. The growth was characterized by a sustained positive trend, a notable expansion in scale and diversity of goods, and increased number of trading partners.
Major foreign trade provinces remained pivotal drivers of China's foreign trade growth. The trade volume of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, Beijing, and Fujian amounted to 34.11 trn yuan. Meanwhile, the trade volume of Yangtze River Delta climbed by 6.3% from the previous year, and that of the nine mainland cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area surpassed 9 trn yuan.
China actively diversified and deepened its trading partner network in 2025, serving as a major trading partner to over 160 countries and regions. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was signed on October 28 to advance regional economic integration. Besides, the country saw its trade with African countries and Central Asian countries reach 2.5 trn yuan and exceed 100 billion US dollars, respectively. The China-EU bilateral trade stood at 5.93 trn yuan, up 6% year on year. Additionally, the trade between China and BRI countries totaled 23.6 trn yuan, accounting for 51.9% of the nation’s total foreign trade value.
China's cumulative foreign trade volume topped 200 trn yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), 40% higher than the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).
