China's digital trade is heading towards the 'next stage'
With the widespread application of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain, China's digital trade has developed rapidly, making important contributions to the high-quality development of foreign trade. The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce gave a detailed explanation on the current situation of China's digital trade development and the measures to further promote the innovative development of digital trade at the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on September 7th.
The New Landscape of Digital Trade Behind $432.31 Billion
At the press conference, Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong introduced that by 2025, the total import and export volume of digitally deliverable services in China will reach 432.31 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 6.3%, showing four characteristics.
One is the steady expansion of digital technology trade. China's technological autonomy and innovation capabilities in cloud computing, communication technology services, and other industries continue to strengthen, and its international competitiveness in software research and development, information technology solutions, cloud computing services, and other fields continues to improve. From 2020 to 2025, the import and export volume of China's telecommunications, computer, and information services will steadily climb from 93.73 billion US dollars to 154.53 billion US dollars, with an average annual growth rate of over 10%.
The second is the accelerated development of digital product trade. Digital cultural products and services such as online literature, online games, film and animation, and short videos have become new highlights of China's service exports. Multiple online video platforms have launched international versions to promote high-quality domestic films, TV dramas, and variety shows overseas. The "2025 China Game Industry Report" shows that the actual sales revenue of China's self-developed games in the overseas market was 20.46 billion US dollars last year, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%. The "2025 Blue Book of Chinese Online Literature" released by the Chinese Writers Association shows that by the end of 2025, China's online literature has exported over 130000 works overseas, with approximately 250 million registered overseas users and active overseas users covering more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.
The third is to improve the quality and efficiency of digital service trade. A group of cloud service providers, Internet enterprises and digital solution providers with global influence in China have accelerated their overseas layout to provide digital transformation services for enterprises in various countries. Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and others have accelerated the construction of overseas cloud infrastructure and have laid out their presence in multiple overseas countries and regions. A group of social platforms are accelerating their overseas expansion and jumping to the forefront of the world's most popular social platforms.
Fourthly, positive practices have been achieved in data trade. According to the "National Data Resources Survey Report (2025)" released by the National Data Administration and the National Data Resources Statistics Survey Working Group last year, China's annual data production reached 52.3 zettabytes (ZB), accounting for about 27.4% of the world's total, a year-on-year increase of 27.3%, and a growth rate 2.3 percentage points higher than the previous year. The cross-border circulation of data has steadily increased, with a total volume of 142.3 exabytes (EB) last year, a year-on-year increase of 14.9%. Among them, the cross-border circulation volume of enterprise data was 88.06 exabytes, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%. International cooperation in the data field is deepening, becoming a new trend in trade development.
Promote digital trade reform, innovation and development in four aspects
Against the backdrop of the deepening integration of digital technology and international trade, in August 2024, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on the Reform, Innovation and Development of Digital Trade", which clarified the development goals and key tasks of China's digital trade. This is of great significance for stimulating the potential of China's digital trade development, cultivating and strengthening digital trade operators, and enhancing international cooperation in digital trade.
The Ministry of Commerce will continue to implement the above documents with relevant departments, support local governments in formulating policies and measures to promote the development of digital trade according to local conditions, and promote the formation of a joint force for the development of digital trade. Yan Dong stated that in terms of building digital trade platform carriers, we will build a national digital trade demonstration zone, promote innovation in digital trade systems, create a high-level open, innovative system, excellent business environment, and strong radiation effect of digital trade aggregation and development highland, and lead and drive the development of digital trade nationwide. Implement various measures to support the innovative development of the national digital trade export base, and promote the base to become stronger and better.
In terms of developing new models and formats of digital trade, we will vigorously promote foreign trade, support the export of digital services such as telemedicine, online education, and cloud office, and cultivate new growth points for digital trade. Expand digital content trade and vigorously promote the dissemination of excellent Chinese culture to the world through online literature, games, animation, film and television. Support the "cloud economy" and "platform economy", actively develop productive service outsourcing such as cloud outsourcing, platform subcontracting, and international data processing, and promote the digitization and intelligence of service outsourcing.
In terms of strengthening digital trade operators, we will cultivate leading digital trade enterprises with strong innovation capabilities and international competitiveness, and support enterprises to expand into international markets. Actively cultivate small and medium-sized digital trade enterprises with high extraversion and unique competitive advantages, and support enterprises to take the path of "specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation" development. Give full play to the leverage role of the National Service Trade Innovation Development Guidance Fund, and drive social capital investment in digital trade-related enterprises.
In deepening international cooperation in digital trade, we will constructively participate in discussions on digital trade rules under the frameworks of the World Trade Organization, G20, and APEC, and maintain and improve the multilateral digital economy governance system. Deepen multilateral, bilateral and regional digital trade dialogue and cooperation with Central Asian countries, BRICS countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road", and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese programs to develop digital trade, so as to create an international environment to jointly promote the development of digital trade.