SCIO briefing on China's imports, exports in first 3 quarters of 2025

Cover News:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit was held in Tianjin this September. What has been the status of China's economic and trade relations with SCO member countries so far this year? Thank you.

Wang Jun:

I'd like to invite Mr. Lyu to answer this question.

Lyu Daliang:

Since the establishment of the SCO 24 years ago, SCO member states have shared opportunities and pursued development together, achieving fruitful results in cooperation across various fields. China's imports and exports with other SCO member states have risen from around 100 billion yuan when the organization was founded to 3.65 trillion yuan in 2024. The latest statistics show that in the first three quarters of this year, China's imports and exports with other SCO member countries reached 2.75 trillion yuan, up 2.4% year on year and hitting a record high for the same period.

According to the data, the accelerated development of the China-Europe Railway Express, the expansion of international road transport routes, and the densification of the air cargo network have all promoted deeper trade ties within the SCO. In the first three quarters of this year, China's imports and exports with other member countries by rail transport exceeded 360 billion yuan, accounting for 70% of China's total rail trade. Meanwhile, imports and exports via road and air increased 10.9% and 37%, respectively. The number of business entities participating in trade is increasing, and personnel exchanges are becoming more convenient. In the first three quarters, more than 190,000 enterprises engaged in trade with other SCO member countries, an increase of about 8,500 compared with the same period last year. It is reported that since the beginning of this year, the number of merchants from SCO countries who visited Yiwu, Zhejiang to source goods and start businesses has exceeded 100,000, up more than 10,000 year on year.

China is actively promoting the entry of agricultural products from its SCO circle of friends. In the first three quarters of this year, China imported 74.3 billion yuan of agricultural products from other member countries, up 6.1% year on year. Increasingly, distinctive agricultural and food products from SCO countries are making their way into the daily lives of Chinese consumers. During the same period, China's exports of agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals and medical devices to other SCO member countries rose 51.9%, 14.7% and 13.4%, respectively, helping these countries upgrade related industries and improve their people's well-being.

The markets of SCO member countries are vast and have strong internal growth momentum, continuously increasing their contribution to world economic growth. Moving forward, customs authorities will thoroughly implement the outcomes of the SCO Summit in Tianjin and expand cooperation with other member countries in areas such as customs clearance facilitation, inspection and quarantine. We will also continue to optimize the business environment at ports and provide more convenient and efficient customs clearance services to further deepen trade and investment cooperation. Thank you.

Jia Huili:

Today's briefing is hereby concluded. Thank you to all the speakers and friends from the media. Goodbye, everyone.

Translated and edited by Xu Xiaoxuan, Lin Liyao, Cui Can, Xu Kailin, Li Xiao, Liu Jianing, You Jiaxin, Zhang Tingting, Mi Xingang, Zhou Jing, Huang Shan, Wang Yiming, Li Huiru, Zhang Rui, Gong Yingchun, Fan Junmei, Zhang Junmian, David Ball, Tudor Finneran, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.