China's foreign trade shows resilience, hits record high in 2025

China's foreign trade demonstrated strong resilience in 2025, with the total volume hitting a record high and net exports of goods and services contributing to 32.7% of economic growth, said Yan Dong, vice minister of commerce, at a policy briefing on Friday.

The State Council Information Office holds a policy briefing in Beijing, Feb. 27, 2026. [Photo by Liu Jian/China SCIO]

Several legal and policy initiatives were rolled out last year to better support trade. The country's Foreign Trade Law was revised last year and will take effect on Sunday. Additional cities and regions were designated as cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, and a tax refund-upon-departure scheme for goods shipped via overseas warehouses was rolled out, Yan said.

In 2025, China's total volume of trade in goods hit 45.47 trillion yuan (US$6.48 trillion), ranking first globally for the ninth consecutive year. The market became more diversified, as trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 23.6 trillion yuan, accounting for 51.9% of the country's total foreign trade. Exports of high-tech products amounted to 5.25 trillion yuan, making up 19.5% of the total. 

An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 14, 2026, shows the Yangzhou Port in Yangzhou, eastern China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Regarding trade in services, a negative list for cross-border trade in services was implemented, steadily expanding market access in a tiered manner. A package of policies was introduced to boost service exports, including the revision of the catalog of encouraged service imports.

The country's total volume of trade in services surpassed 8 trillion yuan for the first time last year, up 7.4% year on year, while service exports grew 14.2%.

As for digital trade, the Ministry of Commerce advanced the implementation of policy measures outlined in the guideline on promoting reform and innovation in digital trade, Yan said. Efforts were made to strengthen national digital service export bases and foster digital trade enterprises. Work was also accelerated on formulating digital trade standards and promoting alignment between domestic and international standards. 

An action plan was rolled out to promote the high-quality development of service outsourcing and its digital transformation. In addition, China hosted the fourth Global Digital Trade Expo, during which 46 key events were held, and 382 innovative achievements, reports, and rankings were released.

Looking ahead, Yan said the ministry will further cultivate new growth drivers for foreign trade and strengthen exports. It will step up efforts to develop trade in services, with a focus on producer services and knowledge-intensive services. The ministry will also actively promote digital trade by expanding opening up in the sector and advancing the development of national digital trade demonstration zones. These efforts are aimed at further building China into a trade powerhouse, the vice minister said.