China's foreign trade up 3.5 pct in August

(ECNS) -- China’s foreign trade grew 3.5 percent year-on-year to 29.57 trillion yuan ($4.14 trillion) in the first eight months of 2025, official data showed Monday.

According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs, exports rose 6.9 percent year-on-year to 17.61 trillion yuan between January and August, while imports dipped 1.2 percent to 11.96 trillion yuan during the same period.

During the January-August period, ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade surging 9.7 percent to 4.93 trillion yuan (about 686.8 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 16.7 percent of the country's total foreign trade. It was followed by the European Union, with trade rising 4.3 percent.

China’s trade with economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) increased 5.4 percent year-on-year to 15.3 trillion yuan in the first eight months, customs data showed.

(By Zhang Dongfang)