An aerial drone photo shows the container terminal of Lianyungang Port in east China’s Jiangsu Province, Jan 13, 2025. Photo:Xinhua
China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms rose by 4 percent year-on-year to reach 33.61 trillion yuan ($4.73 trillion) in the first nine months of the year, as the country’s foreign trade has maintained a stable and positive growth momentum in 2025 by withstanding complex external pressures, officials said on Monday.
During the period, the country’s total export ramped up by 7.1 percent year-on-year to hit 19.95 trillion yuan, while imports dropped by 0.2 percent to 13.66 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
In the first three quarters, the country’s imports and exports showed steady quarterly growth, with year-on-year growth of 1.3 percent in the first quarter, 4.5 percent in the second quarter, and 6 percent in the third quarter, maintaining year-on-year growth for eight straight quarters, Wang Jun, deputy administrator of the GAC, said at a press conference held in Beijing on Monday.
In addition, the export market diversification continues to improve, Wang noted. In the first three quarters, China’s trade with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries reached 17.37 trillion yuan, increasing by 6.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 51.7 percent of the country’s total trade value, the GAC data showed.
And, China’s exports bear the hallmark of shifting toward new and high-quality products. In the first three quarters, China’s exports of electromechanical goods reached 12.07 trillion yuan, rising by 9.6 percent year-on-year and accounting for 60.5 percent of its total export value.
It’s worth noting that the export of “new trio” products, namely electric vehicles, solar batteries and lithium-ion batteries, as well as green products such as electric locomotives have recorded double-digit growth, according to the GAC.
Over the period, China’s import of goods has been gradually recovering, Wang said. Along with the effective unleash of domestic demand potential, the country’s import grew by 0.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter and the growth rate gained pace to rise by 4.7 percent in the third quarter. In the third quarter, the import volume of crude oil grew by 4.9 percent, while the import volume of metal ore rose by 10.1 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the import value of metrology and testing instruments grew by 9.3 percent while that of computers & communication equipment growing by 8.9 percent year-on-year, the data showed.
In the first three quarters, the country’s foreign trade entities are very active, with the number of enterprises with actual foreign trade reaching 700,000, up by 52,000 compared to a year earlier.
“Overall, in the first three quarters, under the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, all regions and departments overcame difficulties and worked diligently, while foreign trade enterprises actively adapted (to new situation) and innovated. China’s foreign trade has demonstrated resilience and structural optimization, achieving both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement – a hard-won achievement,” Wang noted.
At the same time, it must be acknowledged that the current external environment remains severe and complex, with increasing uncertainties and challenges facing foreign trade. Compounded by the high base effect from the previous year, stabilizing foreign trade development in the fourth quarter will require more efforts, Wang said.