China's foreign trade demonstrated resilience in the first two months of 2025, with total goods trade hitting 6.54 trillion yuan ($912.07 billion), according to the General Administration of Customs. While overall figures showed a 1.2% year-on-year decline, analysts highlighted a 1.7% adjusted growth after accounting for structural factors such as reduced working days, signaling underlying stability in the world's second-largest economy.
Exports rose 3.4% to 3.88 trillion yuan, outpacing a 7.3% contraction in imports. Notably, demand from Southeast Asia and Belt and Road partners remained robust, with exports to ASEAN surging 6.8% and shipments to Belt and Road countries growing 2.4%. Trade with major partners like the EU and the U.S. also expanded moderately, with exports rising 1.8% and 3.4%, respectively.
Experts suggest the mixed results reflect shifting global supply chains and China's deepening regional integration. The data arrives amid broader discussions about Asia's economic recalibration, offering investors and policymakers critical insights into trade dynamics shaping the continent's growth trajectory.
