Understanding the Resilience Code of Foreign Trade Annual Reports (People's Review) - Exploring Potential through Data ①

Recently, the 2025 China Economic Report Card was released, demonstrating extraordinary resilience in pushing forward against pressure and developing towards excellence. Starting today, this edition will launch a series of comments to gain insights into the potential of the Chinese economy through data, in order to better grasp the development trend and strengthen confidence in development.

——Editor's note:

Resilience, in the open pattern of diversified markets and win-win cooperation, and in the structural advancement towards novelty, excellence, innovation, and quality improvement

Once the 2025 China Foreign Trade Annual Report is released, it has attracted widespread attention both domestically and internationally, with frequent expressions such as "strong exports," "diversified markets," and "strong competitiveness. The Wall Street Journal reported that China has broken expectations of "tariffs dragging down growth," and the world's second-largest economy remains resilient.

This is the answer given in a complex external environment: by 2025, China's total import and export value of goods trade will reach 4.547 trillion yuan, continuing to maintain its position as the world's largest country in goods trade and maintaining growth for nine consecutive years. It is also the longest continuous growth since joining the World Trade Organization.

Behind the impressive data is a vivid story of China and the world rushing in both directions.

Recently, a video blogger from Norway was shocked twice by a small excavator made in China. A few months ago, while browsing online shopping platforms in China, he accidentally fell in love with an excavator. He thought it was just a toy model based on its price, but upon receiving it, he discovered that the excavator's functionality and quality far exceeded expectations. The unboxing video he shot quickly gained over 4 million views.

Why are Chinese excavators cost-effective? With the questions of netizens, this blogger traveled to China for the first time and headed straight to the factory of Huayi Heavy Industry in Jining, Shandong. The modern and automated production lines are orderly, and the vast and complete supply chain system can quickly respond to the production needs of enterprises... This manufacturing scene once again shocked him. He released another visit video, attracting over 500000 foreign netizens to watch this Chinese factory.

The transoceanic journey of an excavator reveals the resilience code hidden in foreign trade reports.

Resilience, in an open market with diversity and win-win cooperation.

By 2025, China will have trade relations with over 240 countries and regions, and achieve growth in imports and exports with more than 190 countries and regions. Trade will continuously narrow the psychological distance and expand the development space. An economist from Goldman Sachs said that the resilience of China's exports is related to the rapid growth of exports to emerging market economies. In 2025, the total import and export value between China and Central Asia will exceed 100 billion US dollars for the first time in history, maintaining positive growth for five consecutive years. China will leap to become the largest trading partner of Central Asian countries for the first time, which is a vivid example.

High quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road", construction of new land and sea channels in the west, and negotiation and signing of more regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements... China has taken pragmatic measures to promote high-level opening up. Foreign trade has already broken the single market dependence, and built a balanced pattern of "stability in traditional markets and expansion in emerging markets". The "circle of friends" has grown larger and larger, and its ability to resist risks has continued to grow.

Resilience, in the structural advancement towards novelty, excellence, and innovation.

In the context of frequent tariff barriers and trade disputes, China's foreign trade has been pushed forward by an efficient, stable, and flexible supply chain system. For example, the construction machinery industry belt in Jining, which relies on excellent quality to open the door to the global market, is a microcosm of China's industrial transformation towards high-end and intelligent development. For example, in 2025, China will become a net exporter of industrial robots. Data shows that the export of manufacturing products in China has maintained growth for 9 consecutive years, with equipment manufacturing products exporting 16.03 trillion yuan in 2025, an increase of 9.2%, accounting for 59.4% of China's total export value.

In the process of structural advancement, there are not only industrial innovations, but also changes in trade models. The two-way empowerment of "cross-border e-commerce+industrial belt" has changed the traditional trade mode of bulk commodities. This "Internet of Things" trade scenario efficiently matches supply and demand globally, expanding the channels for Chinese products to go global.

Every achievement in the foreign trade annual report is a footnote to the resilience of the Chinese economy. Currently, global trade still faces many uncertainties, but China has institutional advantages, market advantages, and industrial advantages as support, and has a firm determination to continue expanding opening up. The British Broadcasting Corporation quoted professional comments that as Chinese goods and services become more deeply rooted in global business, China's success is likely to continue in 2026. Looking ahead to the future, China's foreign trade will surely write more win-win stories in resilient growth, injecting more certainty into global economic and trade growth.