China’s foreign trade grows 16.9% in first half of 2026
Imports rose 22.1 per cent year on year, outpacing export growth and supporting more balanced trade development
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Photo source: Igor Kutyaev / iStock
China’s foreign trade reached approximately US$3.75 trillion in the first half of 2026, an increase of 16.9 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC). It marks the first time that the country’s trade volume has exceeded US$3.75 trillion during the first six months of a year, reports Global Times, a partner of TV BRICS.
Exports totalled US$2.1 trillion, up 13.4 per cent year on year, extending growth for an eleventh consecutive quarter. Imports increased by 22.1 per cent to US$1.5 trillion, growing 8.7 percentage points faster than exports. According to the GAC, the stronger import performance contributed to a more balanced pattern of trade development.
Exports of mechanical and electrical products rose by 20.1 per cent to US$1.3 trillion, accounting for 63.5 per cent of total exports. High-tech product exports climbed 39 per cent to US$480 billion. GAC Vice Minister Wang Jun attributed the growth to the strong alignment between Chinese manufacturing capabilities and global demand, particularly in artificial intelligence-related industries, computing equipment and data centre technologies.
Green industries also recorded robust growth. Exports of lithium batteries increased by 37.6 per cent, while wind turbine exports rose by 35.6 per cent. Overseas shipments of electric vehicles, railway electric locomotives, electric motorcycles and bicycles expanded by 68.7 per cent, 45.1 per cent and 31.5 per cent respectively. During the same period, China exported more than 10,000 intelligent bionic robots to over 90 countries and regions, while exports of surgical robots reached US$70 million, more than tripling compared with a year earlier.
China’s import market continued to expand, reinforcing its position as the world’s second-largest importer for the seventeenth consecutive year. According to Wang Jun, imports from more than 150 countries and regions increased during the reporting period. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached US$1.9 trillion, up 14.8 per cent year on year and accounting for 50.9 per cent of total foreign trade. Trade with Latin America and Africa increased by 16.2 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively, while trade with neighbouring countries grew by 20.6 per cent.
GAC spokesperson Lu Daliang noted that foreign-invested enterprises continued to play an important role in China’s external trade, contributing a significant share of exports to international markets. The customs authority stated that the country’s expanding market and continued industrial upgrading are supporting the sustained development of foreign trade.
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