China's January-July 2026 Trade Grows 17.3% to RMB 30.13 Trillion
China's goods trade reached RMB 30.13 trillion in the first seven months of 2026, up 17.3% year on year, customs data released on August 7 showed. July trade grew 19.2% to RMB 4.66 trillion, with exports rising 17.8% and imports 21.2%. Dollar-denominated exports increased 23.9% to US$397.85 billion in July, while imports rose 27.5% to US$285.35 billion, generating a trade surplus of US$112.5 billion. Mechanical and electrical products accounted for 63.8% of exports, with electric vehicles up 71.2%.
Data released by the General Administration of Customs on August 7 showed that in July 2026, China's dollar-denominated exports rose 23.9% year on year to US$397.85 billion, while imports increased 27.5% to US$285.35 billion, producing a trade surplus of US$112.5 billion. In RMB terms, total July trade reached RMB 4.66 trillion, up 19.2% year on year, with exports of RMB 2.71 trillion, up 17.8%, and imports of RMB 1.95 trillion, up 21.2%, with import growth outpacing exports. Monthly trade exceeded RMB 4 trillion for the fifth consecutive month, with foreign trade growth accelerating by 2.3 percentage points from the first half.
For cumulative data in the first seven months of 2026, dollar-denominated trade totaled US$4.36 trillion, up 21.8% year on year, with exports of US$2.52 trillion, up 18.5%, and imports of US$1.84 trillion, up 26.7%, generating a surplus of US$687.33 billion. In RMB terms, goods trade reached RMB 30.13 trillion in the January-July period, up 17.3% year on year, with exports of RMB 17.44 trillion, up 14%, and imports of RMB 12.69 trillion, up 22%, with import growth exceeding export growth by 8 percentage points.
The export product mix continued to improve. In the first seven months, mechanical and electrical product exports rose 21.2% to RMB 11.12 trillion, lifting their share of total exports to 63.8%, up 3.8 percentage points from the same period in 2025. Among these, green and low-carbon products including electric vehicles, lithium batteries and wind power generating units rose 71.2%, 35.8% and 34.8%, respectively, while 3D printers, ships and industrial robots increased by 1.1 times, 32.7% and 13.2%. In July alone, high-technology product exports grew more than 50% year on year, exceeding the 39% first-half pace and contributing nearly 60% of the month's export growth. Green and low-carbon product exports have maintained double-digit growth for 17 consecutive months.
On the import side, China's bulk commodity imports rose 3% in volume in the first seven months, with metal ore imports up 8.2%. Imports of mechanical and electrical products rose 29.7% to RMB 5.31 trillion, accounting for 41.9% of total imports. China has so far implemented zero-tariff policies for 63 countries, and its import scale has remained the world's second largest for 17 consecutive years.
In terms of trading partners, China's trade with ASEAN, the European Union, Latin America and Africa grew 20%, 9.5%, 15.4% and 18.9%, respectively, in the first seven months. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached RMB 15.36 trillion, up 15.5%, while trade with other APEC economies totaled RMB 18.03 trillion, up 21%. Over the same period, trade with more than 180 countries and regions grew, including four consecutive months of expansion with the United States.
By business entity, private enterprises traded RMB 17.16 trillion in the first seven months, up 17.2%, representing 56.9% of total trade and maintaining their position as the largest trading entity. Foreign-invested enterprises traded RMB 8.78 trillion, up 17.6%, while state-owned enterprises traded RMB 4.14 trillion, up 17.3%. By transport mode, waterway, air, road and railway trade rose 6.9%, 34.6%, 40.7% and 17.2%, respectively. Air and land transport accounted for 40% of total trade value, growing more than 30%.