Business & IndustryAnalysis
China's BRICS Trade Index Climbs for Tenth Consecutive Year as Trade Hits 7.47 Trillion Yuan
Customs data shows more than 300,000 Chinese firms traded with BRICS partners in 2025, accounting for 16.4 percent of the nation's total foreign trade.
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15th BRICS SUMMIT via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The Brief
China's trade index with fellow BRICS member nations rose to 334.14 in 2025, marking its tenth consecutive year of gains, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs. Total two-way trade reached 7.47 trillion yuan (approximately $1.03 trillion), representing a 3.4 percent increase year-on-year and making up 16.4 percent of China's overall foreign trade. For the first time, the number of Chinese enterprises engaging in import and export activities with other BRICS members exceeded 300,000, underscoring the expanding commercial ties across emerging markets.
Why it matters
As global trade encounters slower growth and mounting protectionist pressures, the continuous rise in China's BRICS trade index highlights the expanding resilience and diversification of commerce among emerging economies and developing nations.
China context
Trade with BRICS nations now accounts for nearly a sixth of China's total foreign trade. With over 300,000 domestic enterprises active in these markets, the figures reflect Beijing's strategic push to diversify its export destinations and supply chains away from over-reliance on traditional Western markets.
Editor's View
EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting.
The sustained decade-long climb of the BRICS trade index demonstrates that Beijing's efforts to institutionalize South-South economic integration are yielding tangible operational results. However, with top-line trade growth settling at a moderate 3.4 percent in 2025, the challenge ahead lies in upgrading the quality and structural balance of these exchanges, moving beyond primary commodities and standard manufactured goods into higher-value digital, green, and industrial collaboration.
What to watch
- Further detailed releases from Chinese customs regarding the remaining two sub-index dimensions beyond trade scale and trade structure
- The specific trade contribution and growth rates driven by newer BRICS member states
- Shifts in commodity mix, particularly cross-border flows of green energy technology, machinery, and agricultural goods
Key Takeaways
- 1China's trade index with other BRICS members rose 32.64 points to 334.14 in 2025, recording its tenth consecutive year of growth.
- 2Total bilateral trade reached 7.47 trillion yuan in 2025, up 3.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for 16.4 percent of China's total foreign trade value.
- 3The number of Chinese companies with active import or export ties to other BRICS nations surpassed 300,000 for the first time, an increase of 8.8 percent.
- 4The index is calculated across four indicator systems, encompassing trade scale and trade structure.
China's bilateral commerce with fellow BRICS countries continued its decade-long expansion in 2025, with trade indices and corporate participation reaching new highs, according to official figures released by the General Administration of Customs.
The 2025 China-BRICS Trade Index climbed to 334.14, representing a gain of 32.64 points over 2024. This marked the tenth consecutive year that the benchmark has recorded an upward trajectory, reflecting broadening trade linkages across the multilateral bloc.
Total two-way trade between China and other BRICS member states reached 7.47 trillion yuan in 2025, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to the previous year. Transactions with BRICS partners constituted 16.4 percent of China's total foreign trade value for the year, demonstrating the bloc's role as a cornerstone of China's external economic relations.
The customs agency highlighted significant broadening in the commercial base supporting these exchanges. In 2025, the number of Chinese enterprises recording import and export activities with other BRICS partners exceeded 300,000 for the first time, rising 8.8 percent year-on-year.
According to the customs administration, the trade index is formulated around four core indicator frameworks, which include trade scale and trade structure, designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of trade progress between China and the grouping's member states.
The continued growth in BRICS-related commerce aligns with China's broader foreign economic strategy of market diversification. Facing increased tariff barriers and supply chain reconfigurations in traditional developed markets, Chinese exporters and industrial buyers have increasingly turned toward emerging economies across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Eurasia to secure critical inputs and expand downstream demand.
Sources
- 中国与其他金砖成员国贸易指数连续10年向上攀升 — State Council of China · 9/11/2026