On 14 October 2026, the State Council Information Office held a briefing on China's import and export in the first three quarters of 2026. GACC spokesperson and Vice Minister Wang Jun said goods trade totaled 39.94 trillion yuan, up 18.8% year on year. Exports were 23.2 trillion yuan (+16.4%) and imports 16.74 trillion yuan (+22.3%). People's Daily reported the same figures the same day.
Growth accelerated through the year: Q1 +15.3%, Q2 +18.3%, Q3 +22.3%. Monthly growth stayed in double digits for six months. September trade reached 5.16 trillion yuan for the first time, up 27.5%, with exports 3.03 trillion yuan (+29.6%) and imports 2.13 trillion yuan (+24.6%).
Market mix: trade with free-trade partners was 19.55 trillion yuan (+30%), contributing more than 70% of the trade increase. Trade with other APEC economies was 24.07 trillion yuan (+23.9%); ASEAN 6.84 trillion yuan (+22.7%); EU 4.78 trillion yuan (+8.4%); US 3.18 trillion yuan (+4.1%). Trade grew with more than 180 countries and regions.
Export structure: equipment manufacturing contributed nearly 90% of export growth. Intermediate goods were more than half of export value. Integrated circuits exports rose 99.1%; electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind turbines and parts rose 72.3%, 36.4% and 22.4%. Private firms remained the largest trader at 22.73 trillion yuan (+19.1%, 56.9% of total). Imports grew 5.9 percentage points faster than exports; central and western regions rose 20.5% and 25.7%.