China's foreign trade has delivered an encouraging performance at the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs on March 10, the total value of China's goods trade imports and exports reached 7.73 trillion yuan in the first two months of the year, an increase of 18.3% compared to the same period last year. This marks the first time since January 2024 that growth has returned to double digits, driven by policy measures, economic factors, and base effects.
Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economic recovery and rising trade protectionism, China's foreign trade has continued its steady progress in the first two months, with overall performance surpassing expectations. This demonstrates the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy, while also injecting valuable stability into a turbulent world.
A closer look at the detailed data reveals numerous highlights in foreign trade, characterized by rapid overall growth, ongoing structural optimization, and increasingly diversified growth drivers. In terms of key products, "Quality Chinese Goods" are widely popular, and new export drivers continue to gain momentum. Exports in the first two months grew by 19.2% year-on-year, largely due to the manufacturing sector's transformation and upgrading, which has driven high growth in exports of automobiles and high-tech products.
From the perspective of major players, business entities have shown resilient growth, with private enterprises continuing to serve as the main engine of foreign trade. In the first two months, imports and exports by private enterprises reached 4.51 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 22.8%.
In terms of trade partnerships, the diversification of market布局 is evident, with stronger performance in non-U.S. markets offsetting a 16.9% decline in trade with the United States. Specifically, trade with the European Union, ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America increased by 19.9%, 20.3%, 34.2%, and 19.7%, respectively.
What has driven the sustained strength of China's foreign trade? On one hand, industrial advantages and policy dividends have complemented each other. For years, Chinese manufacturing has been renowned for its richness and diversity, meeting global demand as a "necessity." Today, high-end intelligent and green, low-carbon products, including robotics, have become new hallmarks of foreign trade, signaling China's ascent up the global value chain.
Take robotics as an example: behind the industry—from chips and components to various electronic systems—lies the support of China's vast unified market, which offers broad application scenarios, efficient resource allocation, and a complete industrial chain. At the same time, the effects of policies aimed at stabilizing foreign trade are gradually becoming apparent. Since the beginning of the year, various regions and departments have taken proactive measures, and foreign trade enterprises have actively worked to secure orders and expand markets.
Cross-border trade facilitation policies have been piloted and replicated nationwide since the start of the year, helping enterprises reduce costs. At the Yiwu International Trade Market in Zhejiang Province, the atmosphere is filled with the "scent of orders." On the first day after the Spring Festival holiday, the market introduced 2.1 million new products.
On the other hand, dual drivers from production demand and consumption upgrading have fueled strong import growth. Imports in the first two months increased by 17.1% year-on-year. On the production side, the recovery of manufacturing and industrial chain upgrades have led to a significant increase in imports of related materials. On the consumption side, demand for high-quality and diverse goods has driven steady growth in consumer product imports.
The strong start lays a solid foundation for stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade throughout the year. However, globally, the world economic recovery remains shaky, and recent geopolitical conflicts have disrupted international economic and trade order as well as global supply chains, posing challenges to stabilizing foreign trade. How can growth momentum be accumulated?
From this year's government work report to the long-term vision of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the commitment to "expand high-level opening up" remains consistent. Entering 2026, China is steadily expanding independent opening in sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare, and education, while deepening alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules. The answers are already being written through systematic planning and forward-looking布局.
It is also important to recognize that China's economy has a stable foundation, multiple advantages, strong resilience, and vast potential, providing many favorable conditions for the development of foreign trade. By continuing to focus on innovation, strengthening policy tools, and diversifying markets, a China committed to high-quality development and high-level opening will continue to inject momentum and hope into the global economic recovery.
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