BEIJING: China’s foreign trade stood at 25.47 trillion yuan ($3.75 trillion) in the first half of 2026, up 16.9 percent year-on-year, reaching a new high. China has firmly maintained its position as the world’s largest goods trading nation, an official of the General Administration of Customs of China (GAC) said on Tuesday at a press conference for China’s half-year trade performance.
“Amid geopolitical tensions and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, the world has become more aware of the indispensable role of Chinese supply chains in global industry and critical goods. Notably, China’s import growth significantly exceeded export growth in the first half of 2026,” Tian Yun, a Beijing-based economist, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
In the first half of 2026, China’s total goods imports and exports reached 25.47 trillion yuan, exceeding 25 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period on record, representing a 16.9 percent year-on-year increase, statistics from the GAC showed on Tuesday.
Exports stood at 14.73 trillion yuan, up 13.4 percent year-on-year, marking growth for 11 consecutive quarters. Imports totaled 10.74 trillion yuan, rising 22.1 percent year-on-year, which is 8.7 percentage points faster than exports, helping promote more balanced trade development.
Chinese experts noted that the country’s efforts to boost industrial upgrading can be clearly seen from the product structure in exports. Meanwhile, China’s super-large market provided and will continue to provide vast opportunities for exporters from all over the world.
Under the impact of disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, China’s stable supplies to the world have provided affordable products to global consumers and enterprises, maintaining their operations, they said.
In terms of exports, China’s product structure continued to improve. In the first half of the year, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 9.36 trillion yuan, up 20.1 percent year-on-year, accounting for 63.5 percent of total exports – an increase of 3.5 percentage points from the same period last year. High-tech product exports grew 39 percent to 3.26 trillion yuan, GAC statistics showed.
Speaking of the support factors of China’s exports, Wang Jun, vice minister of GAC, said on Tuesday at the press conference that the fundamental driver is the precise alignment between Chinese manufacturing and diverse global demands.
“A United Nations report showed that global goods trade growth this year has been concentrated in artificial intelligence (AI)-related sectors. Surging demand for computing power, data centers, and terminal equipment has driven strong Chinese exports. In the first half of the year, exports of electronic components and computer parts posted double-digit growth, contributing a combined 6.9 percentage points to overall export growth,” Wang said.
Wang also pointed to global green and low-carbon transition demand, which has created strong synergy with China’s green products. In the first half of the year, exports of lithium batteries and wind turbines grew 37.6 percent and 35.6 percent respectively. Green mobility products such as electric vehicles (EV), railway electric locomotives, electric motorcycles, and bicycles increased 68.7 percent, 45.1 percent, and 31.5 percent respectively.
EV and lithium-ion batteries, together with photovoltaic products, are known as the “new trio” products, representing the upgrading of China’s manufacturing sector.
“Nowadays, there are also wide discussions on new ‘new trio’ products, including robots, AI and innovative pharmaceuticals. In the first half of the year, China’s exports of new ‘new trio’ products also witnessed a surge, highlighting the strong resilience of China’s economic system. The export growth stems from new growth drivers in strategic emerging industries,” Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
According to GAC data, China exported over 10,000 units of intelligent bionic robots that have been deeply integrated with AI technology in the first half of the year, covering more than 90 countries and regions around the world.
During the same period, the export of surgical robots reached 480 million yuan, increasing by 3.3 times. The export market expanded from 23 countries last year to 49 countries this year. “Intelligent medical equipment produced in China is benefiting an increasing number of patients,” said Wang.
Hu noted that China offers the world low-cost green transition opportunities and substantial market dividends – delivering greater benefits to global economies.
Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the GAC, also pointed out that in the first half of the year, a significant share of China’s exports was generated by foreign-invested enterprises.
“Foreign-invested enterprises are deeply rooted in China, producing in China for the global market and continuously creating profits for investors. They accounted for nearly 30 percent of exports to the EU and nearly 40 percent to South Korea. Their share also exceeded 30 percent in emerging markets such as Mexico and Vietnam,” said Lü. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
