2025 marks the 30th anniversary of WTO's establishment. It reviews WTO's role in global trade, challenges like unilateralism, China's contributions as a member, and its stance on WTO reform. The international community should uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system centered on WTO.

The WTO faces critical challenges but global trade in goods will grow 2.4% this year. Its reform (core of 2026 14th Ministerial Conference) emphasizes three aspects: building on existing system, updating rules, and adapting to digital/AI trends. China’s stance demonstrates reform progress, with most members supporting it to maintain WTO’s credibility.

The 15th Five-Year Plan proposes balanced imports and exports to address China's trade surplus, improve foreign trade quality, and build a strong trading nation. It emphasizes using imports to drive domestic consumption upgrading and industrial transformation, share opportunities, and combines stabilizing exports with expanding imports via targeted measures, advancing towards a trading powerhouse.

According to Hainan's Department of Commerce, the modern service industry of Hainan Free Trade Port grew at an average annual rate of 9% (2018-2024), with 351.59 billion yuan added value in the first three quarters of this year. Supported by opening-up policies (finance, logistics, medical tourism, education etc.), it's thriving, becoming a shipping hub, seeing booming medical tourism and attracting overseas universities, ushering in a new round of rapid development.

On November 18th, the second meeting of the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee was held in Beijing. Li Chenggang met with the Cambodian delegation, noting the agreement promotes bilateral economic cooperation and helps Cambodia's industrialization. He said China welcomes Cambodia's trade talks with others (including the US) but any agreement should not harm global trade or China's interests. The meeting reviewed the agreement's implementation, exchanged views on common concerns, and arranged future work.

The 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes optimizing a market-oriented, rule-of-law, international business environment and accelerating a strong trading country. Customs launches "Policy Through Train" with three mechanisms (demand collection, closed-loop problem-solving, intelligent delivery) to deliver policy dividends to enterprises, boost foreign trade vitality and improve port efficiency.

Against intensified geopolitical competition and protectionism, China and ASEAN’s mutually beneficial cooperation (including their 3.0 agreement) benefits Asia by enhancing stability against global changes, activating new growth drivers, and boosting regional global economic influence, with key trade/investment data and three core benefits outlined.

On October 28, China and ASEAN signed the Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, a milestone in their open cooperation. Covering 9 areas including digital/green economy and supply chain interconnection, it adds new rules in emerging fields (cybersecurity, AI, clean energy) and upgrades traditional ones. It boosts China-ASEAN trade, supports high-standard FTAs, aids green/digital transformation, benefits SMEs, and reduces trade costs.

The article highlights China's super large market as a strategic support for Chinese path to modernization. It notes the 8th CIIE in Shanghai demonstrating the market's advantages with new products, large orders and foreign investment. The 220th CPC Central Committee's Fourth Plenary Session emphasized four advantages (including super large market) for the 15th Five-Year Plan. Xi Jinping stressed leveraging this advantage. The market has three features: leadership (driving innovation), stability (scale/institutional strengths), and growth potential (demographics, reform). It covers innovation examples, macro governance, and plans for a unified national market.

The CPC Central Committee's 15th Five-Year Plan proposal emphasizes innovating digital trade. Global digital trade exports grew from $4.59tr to $7.23tr (2020-2024, 12.1% annual growth). China develops digital trade via top-level design, industry-university-research cooperation, talent cultivation, and international rule alignment.

On November 20, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce stated that if Japan persists in wrong practices, China will take necessary measures. Japanese Prime Minister's erroneous Taiwan-related remarks damaged Sino-Japanese economic and trade cooperation; China urges Japan to correct them. Regarding Japan's aquatic products import suspension, no info is available now, but emphasized Japan's remarks aroused Chinese public outrage and cannot harm emotions while seeking benefits.

On November 19th, Tianjin Water Transport Port (Dongjiang Port Area) passed WHO's on-site evaluation and was awarded "International Health Port". This title boosts port health safety, optimizes business environment, and supports regional/international development. Tianjin Customs will enhance public health response capabilities through multiple measures.

Yantai, a demonstration city in Shandong's green low-carbon high-quality development pilot zone, focuses on four major transformations (energy, industry, city, life) to accelerate green production and lifestyle, promote high-quality development and support the dual carbon goal. Regions should adapt to local realities to implement central deployments for green low-carbon development.

China's Ministry of Commerce spokesperson stated on Nov 18 that the US modified patent invalidation rules under "national security" pretext, violating IP obligations and discriminating Chinese enterprises. China will monitor and take measures to safeguard their legitimate rights.

On Nov 18, 2025, the "China Europe Railway Express Development Report (2025)" was released at the 2nd forum in Xi'an. It covers the train's development, stats (118600 trains, 11.7m TEUs to 26 European countries as of Oct 2025), links to Belt and Road, and contributions to economic vitality and global shared future.

The Ministry of Commerce implements the spirit of the 20th CPC Central Committee's Fourth Plenary Session to promote China's e-commerce development. From Jan-Oct 2025, e-commerce boosts consumption, supports industrial digital transformation, and expands opening-up via digital consumption, industrial e-commerce and Silk Road e-commerce, with various consumption and transaction growths.

In October (driven by National Day & Mid-Autumn Festival), China's consumer market maintained steady growth. NBS data shows Oct retail sales of consumer goods rose 2.9% YoY to 4.63 trillion yuan; Jan-Oct up 4.3%. Commodity, service, new consumption and rural consumption all grew steadily with detailed data.

On Nov 18-19, China and the Netherlands held consultations on Anshi Semiconductor in Beijing. The Dutch side suspended the relevant administrative order, which China welcomes. However, obstacles remain, and both sides agree to cancel administrative intervention to support enterprises' legal consultations, aiming to restore global semiconductor supply chain stability.

Content details China-ASEAN trade: 2025 China-ASEAN Week held, 5 years as each other's largest trading partners, 2024 trade $982.1B (16.9x 2002). 2025 first 10 months trade $862.7B (+8.2%). ASEAN became Zhejiang's largest market in 2025 first 10 months; Zhejiang's new energy vehicle exports to ASEAN up 1.9x. ASEAN is China's top agricultural/food partner for 8 years, with China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 advancing cooperation.

Li Qiang’s speech at the 24th SCO Heads of Government Meeting (Moscow, 2025) highlights SCO’s role in global governance, leveraging its advantages (Shanghai Spirit, practical experience, mechanisms), focusing on development, security, innovation, and supporting Kyrgyzstan for the 25th anniversary.