China’s total goods imports and exports rose to 33.61 trillion yuan ($4.73 trillion) in the first nine months of 2025, up 4 percent year on year, official data showed Monday.
Exports reached 19.95 trillion yuan ($2.81 trillion), increasing by 7.1 percent year-on-year; imports were 13.66 trillion yuan ($1.92 trillion), decreasing by 0.2 percent year-on-year, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
In September alone, China’s goods imports and exports increased by 8 percent year on year to 4.04 trillion yuan, marking the highest monthly increase so far this year.
Since the beginning of 2025, China’s foreign trade has sustained a steady and positive development trend amid a complex external environment, said Wang Jun, deputy head of the GAC, at a press conference.
In the first nine months of 2025, China’s goods trade with Belt and Road partner countries totaled 17.37 trillion yuan, 6.2 percent higher than a year earlier, GAC data revealed.
China’s trade with the economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation increased by 2 percent, reaching 19.41 trillion yuan, accounting for 57.8 percent of the total foreign trade value, said Lyu Daliang, director general of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of the GAC.
In the African context, China’s trade with the continent has also maintained solid growth as part of the broader Belt and Road Initiative, reinforcing China’s position as Africa’s largest trading partner. Over the first nine months of 2025, China’s imports from Africa mainly minerals, energy products, and agricultural goods remained steady, while exports of machinery, vehicles, and digital equipment to African markets increased notably. Analysts note that expanding cooperation in infrastructure, renewable energy, and manufacturing is helping diversify bilateral trade, supporting Africa’s industrialization goals and aligning with China’s push toward high-tech and green exports across emerging markets.
(Source CGTN)
