China Service Trade Grew 8.5 Percent in First Three Quarters of 2026

According to Xinhua News Agency, an official from the Department of Trade in Services of the Ministry of Commerce introduced the development circumstances of China services trade for the period from January to September 2026. From January to September 2026, total services imports and exports expanded by 8.5 percent year on year. Exports rose by 14.8 percent while imports grew by 4.8 percent over the same period, and the overall services trade deficit narrowed in comparison to the previous year. Transport services trade achieved the fastest growth rate among all sectors, expanding by 33.9 percent. In total scale, transport services ranked behind only travel services and other commercial services, with transport service exports rising by 29.4 percent and imports climbing by 36.8 percent. Trade in knowledge-intensive services rose by 7.4 percent, making up 43.9 percent of total service trade volume. Knowledge-intensive exports advanced by 11.7 percent to account for 53.7 percent of total service export value, with personal cultural and recreational services alongside insurance and pension services growing fastest at 69.1 percent and 50.3 percent respectively, while knowledge-intensive imports rose by 3.7 percent to represent 37.5 percent of total service imports.