China's foreign trade grew 15% year-on-year in Q1 2026 — a strong start.

On April 14, the General Administration of Customs released data and presented it at a State Council Information Office press conference: in Q1 2026 China's total import and export value of goods was 11.84 trillion yuan, exceeding 11 trillion yuan in the same period for the first time in history, up 15% year-on-year, returning to double-digit growth. China’s total import and export value has remained steadily above 10 trillion yuan for 12 consecutive quarters, demonstrating continued resilience in foreign trade.

Both imports and exports increased, with imports growing significantly faster

In Q1, exports were 6.85 trillion yuan, up 11.9% year-on-year; imports were 4.99 trillion yuan, a record high for the same period, growing 19.6%, 7.7 percentage points higher than exports. Steady expansion of domestic demand has driven simultaneous improvement in import scale and structure.

Diversified market layout, strong growth in emerging markets

China’s imports and exports with countries jointly building “the Belt and Road” reached 6.06 trillion yuan, up 14.2%, accounting for 51.2%. Imports and exports with ASEAN and Latin America both rose 15.4%, with Africa up 23.7%; trade with the EU and the UK increased 14.6% and 13.1% respectively, and trade with other APEC economies grew 13.4%, consolidating a diversified market structure as the foundation of foreign trade.

Structure continues to optimize; machinery & electrical and green products are main drivers

Exports of machinery and electrical products were 4.34 trillion yuan, up 18.3%, accounting for 63.4% of total exports, with its share rising 3.5 percentage points. Exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind power equipment and parts surged by 77.5%, 50.4%, and 45.2% respectively.

Exports of storage components and central processing components together rose 39.1%; exports of power equipment and energy storage equipment posted double-digit growth; exports of 3D printers and digital cameras jumped 119% and 32.7% respectively, highlighting the competitiveness of innovative products.

Both import volume and price rose; bulk commodities and high-tech products improved

Energy product imports totaled 291 million tons, up 4.4%; metal ore imports were 405 million tons, up 13.2%. Imports of machinery and electrical products were 1.97 trillion yuan, up 21.7%; consumer goods imports were 418.92 billion yuan, up 5.4%; high-tech product imports grew 25.1%, with steady exports and expanding imports jointly driving performance.

New business formats gaining momentum; cross-border e-commerce steadily grows

In Q1 cross-border e-commerce imports and exports totaled 618.46 billion yuan, of which exports were 473.55 billion yuan and imports 144.91 billion yuan, with new foreign-trade formats continuing to empower growth.

Attention to Middle East situation; call to safeguard shipping routes

The General Administration of Customs stated that in March China’s imports and exports with the Middle East turned from growth to decline. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global maritime chokepoint; regional conflicts push up global logistics and production costs and may drag on world trade. China advocates resolving disputes politically and diplomatically, promoting de-escalation, and ensuring stability of international logistics channels.