Xinhua News Agency Economic Essay: Between "one decrease and one increase", China's foreign trade breaks through and moves forward

The comparison between the two sets of data in the 2025 foreign trade report released by the General Administration of Customs is quite meaningful:

One group is that the proportion of the top ten trading partners in China's total foreign trade value has decreased by two percentage points compared to 2024, indicating a decrease in concentration;

The other group is that there are 249 countries and regions that have trade relations with China globally, among which the number of countries and regions with trade scales exceeding trillions, billions, and billions of yuan has increased by 2, 6, and 10 respectively compared to 2024.

Observe the form with numbers, observe the potential with numbers. The trend of "one decrease and one increase" demonstrates the positive results of foreign trade enterprises in consolidating and expanding diversified markets, and also indicates that China's foreign trade is adapting to changes and breaking through barriers, and the path of diversification is becoming wider and wider.

Looking back on the past year, the international environment has undergone profound changes and the world economic and trade order has faced significant challenges. History tells us that whenever there is a sudden change in the environment, an overly concentrated foreign trade model on a single market or product can easily expose vulnerabilities - whether it is the cancellation of a batch of orders or the imposition of tariffs, it can potentially put foreign trade enterprises in a passive or even crisis situation.

Planning ahead leads to prosperity, planning ahead leads to destruction. "Challenges are invitations to explore and move forward, while opportunities are gifts of innovation and change.

In the rapidly changing international market, more and more foreign trade enterprises are actively seeking change and seizing the initiative: foreign trade enterprises in Jiangsu, Hubei, Zhejiang, Shanghai and other places are joining forces to "explore" the world, and emerging markets have become hot spots for competition; Entering Khorgos Port in Xinjiang, "China's good things" such as general merchandise and electronic devices have "taken" commuter trains and cars to speed up their transportation to countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road"; Being in the production workshops of many enterprises, products that meet the demands of markets such as the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa have been continuously taken offline

Foreign trade professionals often say: if the east is not bright and the west is bright, there are multiple friends and multiple paths.

By 2025, China's imports and exports with at least 60% of countries and regions across five continents have achieved growth. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, China has become a major trading partner for over 160 countries and regions worldwide, an increase of more than 20 from 2020.

"Only by constantly going out can we open Xintiandi." A person in charge of a furniture manufacturing enterprise in Guangdong told reporters that in order to tap the growth, the company will set up overseas regional operation centers, exhibition halls and storage centers in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia in 2025, and drive the steady growth of overseas orders by expanding the global dealer network. Keeping an eye on demand and following trends can also turn cold waves into opportunities! "Exclaimed the person in charge.

For many years, as the world's "essential demand", Chinese manufacturing has been renowned for its richness and diversity, with overseas netizens praising "making whatever customers want".

The multi-faceted heaters that can heat tea on the top and provide heating on all sides have received a large number of orders in Japan and South Korea. The innovative ceramic trees have become a new choice for holiday decoration in Europe and America, and the "desert air conditioner" can still work normally when the outdoor temperature in the Middle East exceeds 60 degrees Celsius... The global story of these new products, "Circle Powder", fully demonstrates that Chinese manufacturing is continuously opening up new opportunities through value creation.

The export vitality is prominent, and the import momentum is strong. Recently, in Taicang, Suzhou, known as the "hometown of German enterprises", a German industrial robot worth 200 million euros was shipped for export, while the workshop was running the previously imported Swiss precision reducer. By 2025, China will import goods worth 18.48 trillion yuan, accounting for around 10% of the global import share. Specialty products such as Australian fresh apples, Zimbabwean fresh blueberries, and Norwegian healthcare products have all opened the door to the Chinese market.

Faced with the rampant trend of "decoupling and disconnection" and "domestic priority", China is sincerely expanding imports and adopting a win-win situation of "you in me" to provide valuable stability and certainty for world economic and trade cooperation.

Behind the stable quantity and improved quality of foreign trade is the resilient growth of business entities. By 2025, there will be over 780000 business entities with import and export records in China, among which the proportion of private enterprises in China's total foreign trade value will increase by 1.8 percentage points to 57.3%. The vast number of foreign trade enterprises will face difficulties and grow stronger in the wind and rain, with a stronger spirit of striving to win.

People work hard in spring, everything is updated. Standing at the new starting point of the 15th Five Year Plan, China's foreign trade maintains its composure, bravely stands at the forefront, takes openness as the sail, innovation as the oar, and strives to ride the waves in the international economic and trade ocean, injecting stronger confidence into the recovery and long-term development of the world economy.