Seatrade-Maritime: China’s international trade up 17.6% in first eight months

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Boosted by robust industrial recovery, diversified market expansion and steady regional economic cooperation, China’s foreign trade maintained a strong double-digit growth in the first eight months of 2026.

Latest official customs statistics show that China’s total goods trade volume reached RMB 34.78 trillion ($5.18 trillion) from January to August 2026, rising 17.6% year-on-year against a complex and volatile global economic backdrop.

Breaking down the overall performance, outbound exports recorded RMB 20.17 trillion, representing a 14.6% year-on-year increase, while inbound imports hit RMB 14.61 trillion with a remarkable 22% surge.

The notable growth in import volume reflects continuous recovery of domestic market demand and active industrial production, while steady export expansion consolidates China’s position as a key manufacturing and trading powerhouse in global supply chains.

In August 2026 alone, China’s foreign trade continued its upward trajectory. The single-month total import and export volume stood at RMB 4.65 trillion, up 19.8% year-on-year. Specifically, August exports reached RMB 2.73 trillion (up 18.6% YoY) and imports amounted to RMB 1.92 trillion (up 21.7% YoY). The accelerated monthly growth indicates sustained momentum and improving structural quality of China’s cross-border trade.

General trade remained the backbone of China’s international trade, with import and export volume totaling RMB 20.89 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 10.5%. Processing trade achieved rapid expansion, climbing 26.4% to RMB 6.75 trillion.

Meanwhile, bonded logistics trade jumped 42.3% year-on-year to RMB 6 trillion, highlighting the rapid development of China’s cross-border logistics, bonded warehousing and modern trade service industries.

From January to August, Asean remained China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume hitting RMB 5.95 trillion, up 20.6% year-on-year, driven by strengthened industrial chain synergy and regional supply chain integration. Trade with the European Union ranked second, reaching RMB 4.2 trillion with a steady 8.1% year-on-year growth.

Sino-US trade maintained mild growth amid bilateral economic and trade exchanges, registering RMB 2.76 trillion, up 1.3% year-on-year.

On the export side, high-value-added mechanical and electrical products became the primary growth engine, with export volume surging 21.9% year-on-year to RMB 12.91 trillion, showcasing the continuous upgrading of China’s manufacturing export structure.

For imports, mechanical and electrical product imports saw a sharp increase of 31.6% year-on-year to RMB 6.21 trillion, indicating robust domestic demand for high-end equipment and core industrial components to support industrial upgrading. Crude oil imports stood at 321 million tons, down 14.6% year-on-year, while agricultural product imports increased 6.6% to RMB 1.04 trillion.