China's foreign trade up 17.3% in first seven months of 2026

(ECNS) -- China's total goods trade reached 30.13 trillion yuan (about $4.46 trillion) in the first seven months of 2026, up 17.3% year on year, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Friday.

Exports rose 14% to 17.44 trillion yuan (about $2.58 trillion), while imports jumped 22% to 12.69 trillion yuan (about $1.88 trillion).

In July alone, the country's foreign trade totaled 4.66 trillion yuan (about $690 billion), up 19.2% from a year earlier. Exports reached 2.71 trillion yuan (about $401 billion), up 17.8%, and imports stood at 1.95 trillion yuan (about $289 billion), up 21.2%.

Trade with ASEAN reached 5.14 trillion yuan (about $761 billion) in the January-July period, up 20% year on year. Trade with the EU rose 9.5% to 3.67 trillion yuan (about $543 billion), while trade with the U.S. fell 1.6% to 2.38 trillion yuan (about $352 billion). Trade with Belt and Road partner countries totaled 15.36 trillion yuan (about $2.28 trillion), up 15.5%.

Private enterprises led the growth, with imports and exports reaching 17.16 trillion yuan (about $2.54 trillion), up 17.2%. Foreign-invested enterprises posted 8.78 trillion yuan (about $1.30 trillion) in trade, up 17.6%, while state-owned enterprises recorded 4.14 trillion yuan (about $613 billion), up 17.3%.

In terms of key products, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 11.12 trillion yuan (about $1.65 trillion), up 21.2%, while agricultural exports stood at 429.69 billion yuan (about $63.7 billion), up 3.7%.

On the import side, mechanical and electrical product imports reached 5.31 trillion yuan (about $787 billion), up 29.7%. Crude oil imports fell 13.2% to 283 million metric tons, while agricultural imports rose 7.4% to 904.1 billion yuan (about $134 billion).

(By Tang Yuxian)