China’s foreign trade rises 2.9% in H1 despite tariff headwinds
Despite the negative impacts of US tariffs and its disruption to global trade, China’s imports and exports of goods rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025 to reach $3.04 trillion, driven by the country’s strenuous efforts to optimize its foreign trade structure and stabilize economic growth.
Foreign trade growth in the second quarter rose significantly by 4.5 percent year-on-year, 3.2 percentage points higher than the figure seen in the first quarter, marking the ninth quarter in which foreign trade has exceeded 10 trillion yuan, according to an official with China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).
The growth rate in the first six months marked an increase of 0.4 percentage points from the rate recorded during the first five months of 2025. The total value of imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms stood at 21.79 trillion yuan ($3.04 trillion) in the January-June period, the data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed on Monday.
During the first six months of 2025, China’s exports rose 7.2 percent year-on-year to reach 13 trillion yuan, setting up a new record, while imports fell 2.7 percent to reach 8.79 trillion yuan, the data showed.
Source: Globaltimes