China Records Fastest Foreign Trade Expansion in Nearly 5 Years for First Three Quarters

People's Daily reported that General Administration of Customs spokesperson and vice minister Wang Jun summarized China's foreign trade performance in the first three quarters of 2026 around four distinct characteristics during a State Council Information Office press conference. Trade expansion during the first three quarters represented the fastest rate for the same period in nearly 5 years, with quarterly and monthly growth generally accelerating. International figures confirmed that China maintained its status as the world's largest goods trading nation and ranked among the leading major economies in trade growth. Industrial upgrading provided new momentum as trade across industrial robots, electronic components, computer parts, and electrical equipment expanded by 58.9%, driving total foreign trade up by 11.3 percentage points. Furthermore, exports from self-owned brands increased by 26.7%, accounting for 24.8% of overall export volume and rising by two percentage points compared to the identical period last year. Deepening ties with neighboring countries and integration across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area increased highway imports and exports by 3.4 percentage points. Concurrently, air freight imports and exports rose by 37.2% as cross-border transactions involving high-tech products, high-value-added items, and fresh agricultural food expanded.

Expanding trade opening provided dependable supply for international production chains while extending access to the Chinese market. Through this open trade environment, China achieved simultaneous two-way growth in both imports and exports with more than 120 countries and regions during the first three quarters.