New markets to spur foreign trade

China's foreign trade will pick up further pace this year as manufacturers shift toward more technology-intensive exports and strengthen ties with emerging markets, government officials and business leaders said on Monday.

They noted that Chinese exporters' push for market diversification, along with improvements in regional connectivity and supply chains, is helping to bolster resilience and sustain long-term growth despite external headwinds.

According to the latest data released by the General Administration of Customs on Monday, China's foreign trade grew 3.5 percent year-on-year to reach 29.57 trillion yuan ($4.14 trillion) in the first eight months of 2025.

While exports increased 6.9 percent year-on-year to 17.61 trillion yuan between January and August, imports dipped 1.2 percent to 11.96 trillion yuan during the same period, the data showed.

Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC's department of statistics and analysis, said China's foreign trade growth in the first eight months was 0.6 percentage point higher compared with the first half of the year. Both exports and imports posted gains in August, the third consecutive month of simultaneous growth, he said.

"Despite a challenging and complex external environment, China's trade has continued to demonstrate resilience and vitality," said Lyu, emphasizing that efforts to upgrade trade quality, the growing dynamism of private businesses, and deeper ties with Belt and Road economies will remain key drivers for the country's foreign trade growth.

Among China's top 500 trading companies by volume in the first eight months, private enterprises accounted for 219, an increase of 20 compared with last year.

Lyu added that nearly half of the high-tech trade between January-August came from private firms, reflecting their stronger innovation drive and growing clout.

Rising intl competitiveness

Peng Bo, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said that China has nurtured a growing base of innovative companies and industrial clusters with increasing international competitiveness.

Increasing orders from Europe, economies involved in the BRI and other emerging markets are creating new growth engines for Chinese manufacturers, while driving a broader upgrade in China's export structure and deepening trade links with major global partners, Peng said.

Customs statistics show that this shift is particularly evident in technology-driven sectors, as China's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 10.6 trillion yuan between January and August, up 9.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 60.2 percent of total exports.

Meanwhile, China's trade with the European Union rose 4.3 percent year-on-year to 3.88 trillion yuan, while trade with economies participating in the BRI climbed 5.4 percent to 15.3 trillion yuan.

For example, Ningbo Weiyun Electronic, a hardware manufacturer based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, shipped its products to Thailand — a BRI economy — for the first time this year, in addition to expanding its market presence in European countries, including Greece, Croatia and Finland. The company plans to enter the Vietnamese market soon.

"We will continue to invest in research and development to deliver more competitive products tailored to the needs of the Southeast Asian market," said Chai Jianlu, president of Ningbo Weiyun.

According to data from Ningbo Customs, the company's exports to member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reached nearly 42 million yuan in the first eight months of 2025, up 18.3 percent year-on-year.

Oliver Oehms, executive director of the German Chamber of Commerce in China-North China, said he believes that the growing role of Chinese exporters in emerging markets is also generating opportunities for their international partners.

There are significant opportunities in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where Chinese companies have built strong trade networks, Oehms said. By partnering with Chinese manufacturers, German firms with supply chain networks in China could tap into these markets through triangular cooperation, creating new avenues for growth, he added.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn