The head of the Service Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce introduces the development of service trade from January to May 2026

From January to May 2026, the total import and export volume of services in China reached 3099.48 billion yuan (RMB), a year-on-year increase of 6%. Among them, exports amounted to 12304.6 billion yuan, an increase of 15.9%; Imports amounted to 1869.02 billion yuan, an increase of 0.4%. The trade deficit in services was 638.56 billion yuan, a decrease of 160.72 billion yuan compared to the same period last year. The main characteristics are as follows:

The export of knowledge intensive services is growing rapidly. From January to May, the import and export of knowledge intensive services reached 1.36874 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.4%, accounting for 44.2% of the total import and export of services. The export of knowledge intensive services reached 667.75 billion yuan, an increase of 12.2%. Among them, the export of intellectual property usage fees, personal cultural and entertainment services grew the fastest, with growth rates of 64.9% and 50.1%, respectively. The import of knowledge intensive services reached 700.99 billion yuan, a decrease of 0.3%.

The export of travel services and the import of transportation services have grown rapidly. From January to May, the export of travel services reached RMB 188.5 billion, an increase of 31.3%, with the fastest growth rate among the top five service export sectors; The import of transportation services reached 402.52 billion yuan, an increase of 26.7%, with the fastest growth rate among the top five service import fields.