China Foreign Trade Hits Record High In First Half Of 2026

China's goods trade reached a record high in the first half of 2026, with total imports and exports rising 2.9% year on year to 21.79 trillion yuan, according to data from China Customs. Exports rose 7.2% to 13 trillion yuan, while imports declined 2.7% to 8.79 trillion yuan, highlighting continued export strength despite external pressures.

Foreign Trade Scale Maintains Stable Growth

China's foreign trade scale remained stable during the period, with total trade volume surpassing the 20 trillion yuan threshold for the first time in the first half of a year. Quarterly data showed that imports and exports increased 4.5% year on year in the second quarter, accelerating 3.2 percentage points from the first quarter and marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth.

Trade Partnerships Become More Diversified

China's trade network continued to expand with stronger links among Belt and Road partner countries. In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with Belt and Road countries reached 11.29 trillion yuan, up 4.7% year on year and accounting for 51.8% of China's total foreign trade, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the same period last year. Trade with ASEAN reached 3.67 trillion yuan, rising 9.6%. During the same period, China's trade with the European Union, South Korea and Japan also recorded growth.

Export Growth Driven By High-End And Emerging Industries

China's export momentum increasingly shifted toward higher-value and emerging industries. China's exports of mechanical and electrical products totaled 7.8 trillion yuan in the first half, increasing 9.5% year on year and accounting for 60% of total exports, up 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier. High-end equipment products closely linked to new quality productive forces grew by more than 20%, while the "new three" green technology products increased 12.7%.

Domestic Demand Supports Import Recovery

Domestic demand expansion helped stabilize import growth. As policies supporting major projects and equipment renewal continued to take effect, China's imports returned to growth in the second quarter. In the first half, imports of machinery and equipment in sectors including petrochemicals and textiles recorded double-digit growth. Imports of key components such as electronic parts expanded rapidly, while volumes of major raw materials including crude oil and metal ores increased.

Foreign Trade Enterprises Show Stronger Vitality

The vitality of foreign trade companies continued to strengthen. In the first half, 628,000 Chinese foreign trade enterprises recorded import and export activity, exceeding 600,000 for the first time in the same period and increasing by 43,000 from a year earlier. Private enterprises accounted for 547,000 of these companies, with trade value rising 7.3% and representing nearly 60% of China's total foreign trade.

Overall, China's foreign trade demonstrated resilience in the first half of 2026, maintaining steady expansion in scale while improving trade quality and structure. The performance came amid a challenging global environment and reflected continued momentum in China's export competitiveness and trade diversification.