The growth rate has reached its highest level in nearly 5 years, and three key factors support the strong momentum of China's foreign trade

In the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan, the rise of China's foreign trade has attracted much attention.

On the 14th, the General Administration of Customs released data showing that in the first quarter of 2026, China's total import and export value of goods trade reached 11.84 trillion yuan, surpassing 11 trillion yuan for the first time in history, with a year-on-year growth rate of 15%, the highest in nearly five years, highlighting the strong resilience of China's foreign trade.

At the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the same day, Wang Jun, Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs, used these 8 words to evaluate the first quarter's foreign trade performance.

As an important driving force for stable growth and an important component of an open economy, what factors support the rapid growth of China's foreign trade?

Firstly, the development of chassis stability. According to customs statistics, in the first quarter of this year, China's import and export growth rate has returned to double-digit growth since the fourth quarter of 2022, and the total import and export value has remained above 10 trillion yuan for 12 consecutive quarters.

Wang Jun stated that since the beginning of this year, in the face of more complex and changing external situations, various regions and departments have taken multiple measures to stabilize scale and optimize structure. Enterprises have actively identified changes, responded to changes, stabilized orders, and expanded markets, promoting rapid growth in China's imports and exports in the first quarter.

Upon closer inspection of this first quarter report, efforts will be made to consolidate the foundation of foreign trade while stabilizing exports and expanding imports.

In the first quarter, China's exports reached 6.85 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%. Among numerous export products, products such as 3D printers, electric vehicles, and lithium batteries have performed remarkably well, with exports increasing by 119%, 77.5%, and 50.4% respectively.

Wang Jun stated that the growth of China's exports is a comprehensive reflection of multiple factors, such as the recovery of external demand, the completeness of domestic industrial supporting systems, and the release of innovation momentum by enterprise entities. Made in China "continues to improve in terms of quality, efficiency, and service, and will continue to meet the production and consumption needs of different fields and levels around the world.

At the same time, influenced by factors such as the rapid rise in international commodity prices and the recovery of domestic demand, China's imports reached a record high of 4.99 trillion yuan in the first quarter, and the growth rate also accelerated by 2.5 percentage points to 19.6% compared to the previous two months. Since the beginning of this year, the combination of the "dual" construction and the relay promotion of the "two new" policies, coupled with the extra long Spring Festival holiday, has led to a year-on-year increase of 21.7% and 5.4% in imported mechanical and electrical products and consumer goods, respectively, in the first quarter.

Wang Jun introduced that in the first quarter, China's imports from more than 150 countries and regions achieved growth, with 51 countries and regions importing over 10 billion yuan, an increase of 3 compared to the same period last year.

Secondly, the enterprise is full of vitality. Only when enterprises thrive can foreign trade thrive. Private enterprises have maintained their position as the largest foreign trade entity in China for many consecutive years. With the accelerated release of various policy dividends, the vitality of private enterprises has been effectively stimulated.

In the first quarter, there were 618000 enterprises with import and export records in China, including over 540000 private enterprises. The import and export volume was 6.78 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%, and the proportion of China's total import and export value further increased to 57.3%.

Foreign funded enterprises deeply cultivate in China and serve the world. In the first quarter of this year, the import and export of foreign-funded enterprises increased by 16.1% year-on-year, achieving growth for eight consecutive quarters. Among them, the growth rates of exports and imports have both reached double digits. In the first quarter, China added over 6200 foreign-funded enterprises registered with customs, and the number of foreign-funded enterprises with import and export records increased by more than 1000 compared to the same period last year, reaching 69000.

Finally, there is strong endogenous motivation. In recent years, China's international market layout has diversified and progressed, and its ability to resist risks has been continuously enhanced.

In the first quarter, despite a decline in imports and exports to the United States, China's imports and exports to non US countries showed strong momentum. China's imports and exports to ASEAN and Latin America both increased by 15.4%, imports and exports to Africa increased by 23.7%, and imports and exports to the European Union and the United Kingdom increased by 14.6% and 13.1% respectively.

During the same period, regional development has shown its strengths and promoted the dual improvement of quality and efficiency in foreign trade development. In the first quarter, 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. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Shandong, which are major foreign trade provinces, contributed more than 60% of the import and export growth.

Recently, the highly anticipated "Zhang Xueji" motorcycle has become a testament to the strength of China's motorcycle manufacturing industry, with its championship winning race car being an internal combustion engine motorcycle produced in the central and western regions. According to customs statistics, 4 out of every 10 internal combustion engine motorcycles exported from China come from the central and western regions. In the first quarter, the number of internal combustion engine motorcycles exported from the central and western regions increased by 7% year-on-year.

Overall, the rapid growth of imports and exports in the first quarter has laid a solid foundation for the stable growth of foreign trade throughout the year, "said Wang Jun. At the same time, it should also be noted that there are still many uncertain and unstable external factors. Recently, the World Trade Organization predicts that the growth rate of global commodity trade volume will slow down by 2.7 percentage points to 1.9% in 2026. The OECD report points out that the evolving conflicts in the Middle East pose a test of global economic resilience.

The supporting conditions and basic trends for the long-term improvement of China's economy have not changed, and the advantages and potential of foreign trade continue to be demonstrated. In March, China's manufacturing PMI returned to the expansion range, with indicators such as new export orders and imports showing a significant rebound. The results of the customs trade prosperity survey also show that the number of enterprises reflecting an increase in new export and import orders has significantly increased. We have the confidence and ability to continuously promote stable scale and optimal structure of foreign trade, "said Wang Jun.