In the first quarter, China's import and export growth rate reached the highest level in nearly 5 years

Beijing, April 14 (Xinhua) -- According to data released by the General Administration of Customs on the 14th, the total value of China's goods trade imports and exports in the first quarter of 2026 was 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%. While the quarterly scale exceeded 11 trillion yuan for the first time, the quarterly growth rate reached the highest level in nearly five years.

The momentum is strong and the start is good, "said Wang Jun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the same day. In the complex and severe external environment, the key to China's rapid growth in imports and exports in the first quarter lies in the stability, vitality, and strong momentum of China's foreign trade foundation.

The stability of the foundation is mainly reflected in the steady progress of the overall market and the diversified stability of the market. By the first quarter of this year, China's total import and export value has remained above 10 trillion yuan for 12 consecutive quarters, and the growth rate has returned to double-digit growth since the fourth quarter of 2022.

In the first quarter, China's imports and exports to ASEAN and Latin America both increased by 15.4%, imports and exports to Africa increased by 23.7%, imports and exports to the European Union and the United Kingdom increased by 14.6% and 13.1% respectively, effectively filling the gap of declining imports and exports to the United States.

Full of vitality, mainly reflected in the burst of vitality of business entities and the emergence of strengths in regional development. In the first quarter, there were 618000 enterprises with import and export records in China, including over 540000 private enterprises, with an import and export volume of 6.78 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%, and a further increase in the proportion of China's total import and export value to 57.3%; The import and export of foreign-funded enterprises reached 3.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 16.1%, and have achieved growth for eight consecutive quarters.

During the same period, the eastern, central western, and northeastern regions of China fully utilized their respective geographical characteristics and industrial advantages, with imports and exports increasing by 14.3%, 20.2%, and 4% respectively in the first quarter.

Strong momentum is mainly reflected in the export structure moving towards a new and optimized direction, and the import momentum significantly strengthening. In the first quarter, with the recovery of external demand, the advantages of China's industrial supporting system were further released. China's exports reached 6.85 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%. Among them, exports of green products such as 3D printers, electric vehicles, and lithium batteries increased by 119%, 77.5%, and 50.4% respectively. China's imports amounted to 4.99 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.6%, reaching a new historical high for the same period. Among them, imported mechanical and electrical products and consumer goods increased by 21.7% and 5.4% respectively year-on-year.