Seize the opportunity of accelerating the restructuring of the global trade pattern

In recent years, the global trade pattern has accelerated its restructuring and continued to evolve, gradually moving from the era of "big markets" to the stage of "small circles". This poses significant challenges to the global industrial chain, supply chain, and related enterprises, as well as providing rare opportunities. How to adapt to changes and actively participate in international economic and trade cooperation? How to promote innovative development in foreign trade, especially the integration of goods trade and service trade, has attracted close attention from major economies around the world.

Currently, the global trade landscape is constantly evolving. Individual countries have transformed from being flag bearers of free trade in the past to the biggest disruptors of the global trading system, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise and the world's openness index continuing to decline; The economic globalization that was dominated by a single rule in the past has gradually shifted towards factionalism and regionalization, and "circle trade" has rapidly developed. Countries are no longer betting on a single system for import and export trade chips, but building more controllable and resilient trade and supply chain networks through bilateral and regional free trade agreements.

According to the World Trade Organization, as of the end of 2025, a total of 630 regional trade agreements have been reported globally, of which 381 have already come into effect. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development points out that 75% of global trade is covered by regional free trade agreements. The multilateral trading system, which used to be the core pillar of global trade, is accelerating its differentiation.

Taking the European Union as an example. In the first quarter of this year, the EU accelerated the layout of the "free trade circle", from connecting the supply of agricultural products and key minerals in the Southern Common Market, to seizing the vast consumer market in India, and then locking in strategic mineral resources such as lithium, aluminum, and manganese in Australia. Each step accurately anchored the two core goals of supply chain security and market diversification.

Looking at the world, major economies are scrambling to expand their presence due to the impact of US tariffs. Japan has launched a strategic partnership mechanism with the Southern Common Market while responding to the US tariffs; The United Arab Emirates has signed free trade agreements with India and South Korea, and is advancing negotiations with ASEAN in an attempt to build a Middle East trade hub; The China ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol has been officially signed, and new rules such as digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity are being accelerated to be implemented; The trade volume of goods within BRICS countries has exceeded 1 trillion US dollars, with an average annual growth rate of 13.3%, significantly higher than the global trade growth level during the same period.

Foreign trade is one of the three driving forces behind China's economic growth, closely related to the production and daily life of the people. In recent years, China has implemented a more proactive opening-up strategy, in line with the trend of world trade development, and has achieved significant results in foreign trade and economic cooperation. At present, there are over 700000 foreign trade enterprises with import and export performance in China, with about 500000 existing foreign-funded enterprises. Foreign trade and investment directly and indirectly drive employment of more than 200 million people. Foreign trade has played an important role in stabilizing growth, promoting employment, and benefiting people's livelihoods, and has become an important force in promoting industrial upgrading and consumption upgrading. Accelerating the restructuring of the global trade system is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that the exclusivity of free trade agreements exacerbates the fragmentation of the multilateral trading system and increases global trade costs. The opportunity lies in the fact that the multipolar pattern has broken the unipolar monopoly, and emerging economies have gained more diverse market choices and rule discourse power.

When trade is no longer just a simple economic and trade exchange, and the supply chain has become a security chain, countries must rediscover their positions in the new coordinate system. In this process, whoever can take the lead in building a diverse and stable trade system network, and provide broad markets, solid production capacity, and predictable rule arrangements, will be able to take the initiative in the global supply chain reconstruction and become an indispensable key node in the new pattern.