High-tech and high-value goods power exports
China's growth in exports is being reshaped by a structural upgrade in mechanical and electrical products, with economists and exporters saying that high-tech, green and high-value goods are emerging as new engines of growth amid rising global trade barriers and supply chain uncertainties.
They said that demand for artificial intelligence hardware, advanced manufacturing products and tech-intensive green goods, including AI servers, 3D printers, industrial robots and lithium batteries, is likely to remain strong this year, as Chinese manufacturers continue moving up the value chain and strengthening their competitiveness in global markets.
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, China's foreign trade grew by 17.3 percent year-on-year to reach 30.13 trillion yuan ($4.5 trillion) in the first seven months of 2026.
While exports rose 14 percent year-on-year to 17.44 trillion yuan, imports surged 22 percent year-on-year to 12.69 trillion yuan, the data revealed.
Sheana Yue, senior Asia economist at British think tank Oxford Economics, said that strong electronics and machinery exports, coupled with rising imports of industrial inputs, suggest that AI and electrification would remain key forces shaping global manufacturing.
"China's competitiveness in AI hardware, electric vehicles and other high-value products will allow it to continue gaining global export market share," she said, warning that persistent disruption in the Middle East would keep energy and transport costs elevated.
Latest customs data showed that in the first seven months, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 11.12 trillion yuan, surging 21.2 percent year-on-year and accounting for 63.8 percent of China's total exports.
The shift toward a higher-quality and more sustainable trade structure also aligns with China's policy priorities. A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in late July called for efforts to promote more balanced trade growth and expand mutually beneficial international economic and trade cooperation.
Jiang Ping, a professor of foreign trade at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics, said that China's faster import growth reflected recovering domestic demand, with stronger consumption, industrial activity and investment suggesting that the economy was gaining momentum and pro-growth policies were taking effect.
Marc Ostwald, chief economist at the London-based ADM Investor Services International, said that China's external trade has remained resilient this year, with trade links with Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America continuing to expand.
Meanwhile, China's trade with the United States has also shown signs of improvement. In the first seven months, two-way trade declined 1.6 percent year-on-year, narrowing from a 3.6 percent decline in the first half, customs data showed.
In July alone, China-US trade increased 10.8 percent year-on-year, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth.
Gao Shiwang, spokesperson for the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products in Beijing, said that high-tech and high-value-added products are more resilient to external shocks, supported by stronger demand, technological advantages and customer loyalty.
"Compared with lower-end goods, they are better positioned to withstand market volatility and trade frictions," said Gao.
With power grids undergoing upgrades in many parts of the world, Qingdao Qingdian Transformer Co, a power transformer manufacturer in Qingdao, Shandong province, saw its exports grow by 100 percent year-on-year to reach 120 million yuan between January and July, statistics from Qingdao Customs showed.
"Foreign customers once chose Chinese transformers mainly for price advantages, but quality, technology and delivery efficiency have become key strengths," said Li Changchun, chairman of the company.
GreaTech Substrates Co, a manufacturer of packaging substrates headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has deepened its integration into global semiconductor supply chains through overseas expansion, according to information released by Huangpu Customs in Guangdong.
"We have established stable supply channels in Southeast Asia," said Wu Jianhang, the company's head of customs affairs.
Wu said the company's high-density, ultrathin printed circuit boards are shipped to its clients' plants in Southeast Asia for assembly and integration before becoming components in advanced chips supplied to global markets.
In Northeast China's Liaoning province, exports of mechanical and electrical products also amounted to 140.51 billion yuan in the first seven months, up 18.6 percent year-on-year, accounting for 53.3 percent of the province's total exports during the period, data from Shenyang Customs showed.