In 2026, at the beginning of the 15th Five Year Plan, China's foreign trade has already delivered a stunning performance. The General Administration of Customs released data on March 10, 2026, stating that the total import and export value of China's goods trade reached 7.73 trillion yuan in the first two months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 18.3%. This is not only the first time since January 2024 that it has returned to double-digit growth, but also recorded high growth rates of 13.6% and 24.5% in January and February, respectively. Even after deducting the disturbance caused by the Spring Festival, this Chinese made train is still speeding at full speed, showing a steady and progressive trend that not only demonstrates resilience, but also unleashes strong recovery vitality.

Marching toward the new

Behind the impressive data is a leap in the quality of Chinese manufacturing. The export side continues to make new efforts, with a year-on-year growth of 19.2%, which is a strong support for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. In the first two months, the export of high-tech and high value-added electromechanical products surged by 24.3%, becoming the absolute mainstay. Among them, automobile exports have shown both speed and passion, with a significant increase of 57.9% in quantity and 63.1% in value, firmly occupying the top spot in export growth.

The import end is equally hot. In the 17.1% growth rate, there is not only a surge in consumer goods imports brought about by the Spring Festival holiday, but also the import of mechanical and electrical products driven by industrial upgrading (with a growth rate of over 21%), as well as double-digit growth in commodities such as iron ore and crude oil. The sustained release of domestic demand potential is forming a perfect closed loop with the upgrading of the supply side.

Expansion of Moments

The vitality of market entities is fully unleashed. As the largest player in foreign trade, private enterprises imported and exported 4.51 trillion yuan in the first two months, a year-on-year increase of 22.8%, far exceeding the growth rate of foreign investment and state-owned enterprises. Many companies started production at full capacity at the beginning of the year, accelerating on a new track.

More noteworthy is the diversification of international layout. Against the backdrop of a year-on-year decrease of 16.9% in imports and exports to the United States, China's foreign trade has achieved excellent results in stress tests: it has increased by 19.9%, 20.3%, 34.2%, and 19.7% respectively to the European Union, ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America. The comprehensive blooming of non US markets has built a solid risk firewall.

pursue progress while ensuring stability

Despite a good start, we must also be aware that the shadow of geopolitical conflicts still hangs over the global economic and trade order. The high opening in the first two months laid a solid foundation for the whole year, but to achieve stable growth, policy support is still needed. From the government work report proposing to increase credit and credit insurance support, expand the cross-border use of RMB, to the Ministry of Commerce's brewing policies on digital trade and green trade increment, a series of combination punches are on the way. Keywords: Import and Export Trade, Goods Trade

In 2026, China's foreign trade will no longer simply pursue the accumulation of scale, but will evolve towards a deep optimization of structure. With the continuous release of policy dividends and the injection of new quality productivity, China's foreign trade, as a giant ship, will surely break through the waves on the path of high-quality development.Editor/Cheng Liting