China’s foreign trade recorded a 2.4% year-on-year increase in the first four months of 2025, with total imports and exports reaching 14.14 trillion yuan ($1.96 trillion), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Friday. The figures highlight the resilience of Asia’s largest economy amid fluctuating global demand.
Exports surged by 7.5% to 8.39 trillion yuan during the period, while imports dipped by 4.2% to 5.75 trillion yuan. High-tech products emerged as a key driver, with trade in this sector growing 7.4% to 1.52 trillion yuan. Private enterprises also played a pivotal role, accounting for 56.9% of total trade volume with 8.05 trillion yuan in transactions—a 6.8% annual increase.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) retained its position as China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade expanding by 9.2%. Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC’s statistics department, noted a 4.3 percentage point acceleration in April’s trade growth compared to Q1, underscoring "strong resilience" as imports rebounded from earlier declines.
Lyu attributed the steady performance to coordinated efforts by local governments and departments to mitigate external challenges, reinforcing China’s role as a stabilizing force in global trade networks.
