Data released by the General Administration of Customs on the 14th showed that China’s goods trade imports and exports reached 25.47 trillion yuan in the first half of this year, rising 16.9 percent year-on-year. Of this total, exports stood at 14.73 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.4 percent, and imports hit 10.74 trillion yuan, up 22.1 percent.

In terms of scale, imports and exports exceeded 25 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period in history, an increase of 3.68 trillion yuan from the same period last year. Imports and exports amounted to 4.78 trillion yuan in June, staying above 4 trillion yuan for four consecutive months.

In terms of growth rate, export growth has topped 10 percent since the start of this year, maintaining growth for 11 consecutive quarters. Import growth in the first half of the year was 8.7 percentage points higher than export growth, contributing more to foreign trade expansion and facilitating balanced trade development.

Wang Jun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs, stated at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the same day that overall, China’s foreign trade maintained sound momentum in the first half of the year, with notable achievements in stabilizing scale and optimizing structure.

Robust Exports of AI-related Products

Since the beginning of this year, growth in global goods trade has been mainly concentrated in AI-related sectors. Sustained expansion in global demand for computing power, data centers and terminal equipment has boosted China’s exports of relevant products.

Statistics indicate that exports of Chinese electronic components, computer parts and other products all registered double-digit growth in the first half of the year, jointly driving export growth by 6.9 percentage points. Exports of intelligent bionic robots deeply integrated with AI technologies exceeded 10,000 units, covering more than 90 countries and regions worldwide.

Driven by the in-depth global transition toward green and low-carbon development, exports of green products posted rapid growth. In the first half of the year, China’s exports of lithium batteries and wind turbine units, green energy-related products, rose by 37.6 percent and 35.6 percent respectively. Exports of green mobility products including new energy vehicles, electric railway locomotives, electric motorcycles and bicycles increased by 68.7 percent, 45.1 percent and 31.5 percent respectively.

The tense situation in the Middle East has tightened global supply of chemical products in the first half of the year. Leveraging its complete industrial system and full-chain supporting capacity, China rapidly met emergent external demand. Exports of basic organic chemicals and plastics in primary forms went up by 25.1 percent and 35 percent respectively in the first half of the year.

“China’s stable supply chain is evolving into a pivotal hub connecting all parties worldwide to achieve win-win cooperation. We will continue to meet global needs with China’s strengths, inject greater certainty and stronger new dynamism into international economic and trade cooperation,” Wang Jun remarked.

Imports Surpass 10 Trillion Yuan for the First Time

China’s imports reached 10.74 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, exceeding 10 trillion yuan for the first time in the same period in history, representing a year-on-year increase of 22.1 percent. The growth rate was 8.7 percentage points higher than that of exports, contributing more to foreign trade growth and advancing balanced trade development.

Data shows that China’s imports of metal ores and electronic components grew by 22.6 percent and 45.6 percent respectively in the first half of the year. Imports of edible oil and aquatic products rose by 19.2 percent and 24.1 percent respectively.

China has taken proactive steps to expand imports and steadily advance voluntary and unilateral opening-up. It has implemented zero-tariff policies for 63 countries, and successfully hosted international expos including the China International Import Expo, China Consumer Expo and Global Supply Chain Expo, offering a gateway for global commodities to access the Chinese market.

“New market access has been granted for imports of agricultural and food products such as dried chili peppers and cashews from African diplomatic partners, pecans from Uruguay, apples from Belgium, and dried longans from Cambodia,” Lv Daliang, Spokesperson and Director-General of the Statistics and Analysis Department of the General Administration of Customs, said at the press conference on the 14th.

Steady Rise in the Smart Content of Foreign Trade

The smart content of China’s foreign trade has increased steadily. In 2025, China’s exports of industrial robots surpassed imports for the first time, making China a net exporter of industrial robots. Exports stood at 6.29 billion yuan in the first half of this year, growing by 18.6 percent and shipped to 141 countries and regions across the globe.

Statistics show exports of surgical robots reached 480 million yuan in the first half of the year, surging 3.3 times. The number of export destinations expanded to 49 from 23 in the same period last year. Chinese cleaning robots have entered numerous households. Intelligent bionic robots such as humanoid robots, quadruped robots, bionic fish and bionic birds are also accelerating their penetration into international markets. The combined exports of the two categories hit 18.09 billion yuan in the first half of the year.

Looking ahead to foreign trade performance in the second half of the year, Wang Jun acknowledged that the external environment remains complex and volatile. The World Bank notes the global economy faces multiple headwinds including rising energy prices, mounting inflationary pressures and expectations of tighter monetary policies, with growth prospects weakening. Projections from the International Monetary Fund indicate global economic growth will slow to 3 percent this year from 3.5 percent last year, while growth in the volume of goods and services trade will cool to 3.5 percent from 5 percent a year earlier.

“China’s foreign trade will face certain pressures in the second half of the year. Nevertheless, bolstered by robust innovation momentum, vibrant market entities and a high level of opening-up, the fundamentals of foreign trade remain solid. We have the confidence and capacity to sustain the sound growth momentum of foreign trade,” Wang Jun said.

Source: Shanghai Securities News