China’s Trade Shows Strength Amid Global Uncertainty
- Ishaan Satija
- Jul 14
- 1 min read
China’s total goods trade rose 2.9% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, reaching 21.79 trillion yuan ($3.04 trillion), according to customs data. Exports climbed 7.2% to 13 trillion yuan, while imports fell 2.7% to 8.79 trillion yuan. Trade momentum improved in June, with both exports and imports posting stronger year-on-year growth.
Private enterprises remained the backbone of China’s trade, with a 7.3% increase to 12.48 trillion yuan accounting for 57.3% of total trade. Foreign-invested firms also saw stable growth, with five consecutive quarters of rising trade. The number of foreign-funded companies engaged in trade reached 75,000, the highest since 2021.
China’s trade with the European Union rose 3.5% to 2.82 trillion yuan, while trade with BRICS countries hit 6.11 trillion yuan (up 3.9%). Trade with Belt and Road Initiative nations climbed 4.7%, totaling 11.29 trillion yuan—more than half of China’s total trade volume.
Officials emphasized that despite global headwinds, China’s foreign trade has not only grown in size but also in quality and stability. In U.S. dollar terms, June exports rose 5.8%, beating expectations and driven largely by demand from non-U.S. markets. The outlook remains cautiously optimistic.
