China’s foreign trade expands in first nine months of 2025

China’s total import and export of goods rose by 4% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2025, reaching 33.61 trillion yuan (around $4.73 trillion), official data show.

According to the General Administration of Customs (GAC), this marks an acceleration compared with the 3.5% growth recorded over the first eight months of the year, Caliber.Az reports per Chinese media.

Exports were the main driver of the increase, rising 7.1% year-on-year to 19.95 trillion yuan, while imports slightly declined by 0.2% to 13.66 trillion yuan.

In September alone, China’s imports and exports grew by 8% compared with the same month last year, totalling 4.04 trillion yuan — the strongest monthly growth since the start of 2025.

Deputy GAC head Wang Jun said at a press conference that China’s foreign trade had maintained a steady improvement despite a challenging external environment.

He added that trade growth had accelerated each quarter, rising 6% in the third quarter, following increases of 1.3% and 4.5% in the first and second quarters, respectively. Wang also highlighted that China’s foreign trade market had become more diversified.

Data from the GAC show that trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 17.37 trillion yuan over the first nine months, up 6.2% from a year earlier.

Trade volumes with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Latin America, Africa and Central Asia increased by 9.6%, 3.9%, 19.5% and 16.7% year-on-year, respectively. Meanwhile, China’s trade with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies grew by 2%.

By Aghakazim Guliyev