According to customs statistics, China’s goods trade continued its steady expansion in the first ten months of 2025, with total imports and exports reaching RMB 37.31 trillion, up 3.6 % year on year. Exports rose 6.2 % to RMB 22.12 trillion, while imports were broadly flat at RMB 15.19 trillion. In October alone, total trade stood at RMB 3.7 trillion (+0.1 %), with exports of RMB 2.17 trillion (–0.8 %) and imports of RMB 1.53 trillion (+1.4 %), marking the fifth consecutive monthly increase in imports.
General & processing trade both expanded
In the first 10 months, general-trade imports/exports reached RMB 23.64 trillion, up 2.3 % and accounting for 63.4 % of China’s total foreign-trade value; processing-trade rose 6.5 % to RMB 6.94 trillion (18.6 %); bonded-logistics trade grew 5.5 % to RMB 5.34 trillion.
Trade with ASEAN and the EU increased
ASEAN remained China’s largest trading partner: two-way trade totaled RMB 6.18 trillion, up 9.1 % and representing 16.6 % of China’s total. The EU ranked second at RMB 4.88 trillion, up 4.9 % (13.1 %). The U.S. fell 15.9 % to RMB 3.38 trillion (9 %). Trade with Belt & Road partner countries rose 5.9 % to RMB 19.28 trillion.
Private & foreign-invested firms posted gains
Private enterprises’ imports/exports grew 7.2 % to RMB 21.28 trillion—57 % of the national total, 1.9 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Foreign-invested enterprises rose 2.9 % to RMB 10.91 trillion (29.3 %), while state-owned enterprises dropped 8.1 % to RMB 5.04 trillion (13.5 %).
Electro-mechanical products >60 % of exports; ICs & vehicles surged
Electro-mechanical exports reached RMB 13.43 trillion, up 8.7 % and 60.7 % of total exports. Breakdown:
Automatic data-processing equipment & parts: RMB 1.19 trillion (–0.7 %)
Integrated circuits: RMB 1.16 trillion (+24.7 %)
Motor vehicles: RMB 798.4 billion (+14.3 %)
Labour-intensive exports fell 3 % to RMB 3.38 trillion (15.3 %):
Garments & accessories: RMB 905 billion (–3 %)
Textiles: RMB 844.2 billion (+1.8 %)
Plastics: RMB 614.6 billion (–0.1 %)
Farm-product exports rose 2 % to RMB 599 billion.
Bulk-commodity import prices declined; electro-mechanical imports rose
Iron ore: 1.03 billion t (+0.7 %), average price –10.7 %
Crude oil: 471 million t (+3.1 %), price –12.1 %
Coal: 388 million t (–11 %), price –24.5 %
Natural gas: 103 million t (–6.2 %), price –8.8 %
Soybeans: 95.7 million t (+6.4 %), price –11.1 %
Refined oil products: 34.2 million t (–16.3 %), price –4.6 %
Primary plastics: 22.12 million t (–7.6 %), price –0.6 %
Unwrought copper & copper products: 4.46 million t (–3.1 %), price +5.7 %
Electro-mechanical imports grew 5.5 % to RMB 6.05 trillion.
