In 2026, the Ministry of Commerce will focus on cultivating new drivers of foreign trade and making every effort to stabilize the fundamentals of foreign trade.

At a regular press conference, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that China’s foreign trade achieved remarkable growth despite challenges in 2025, demonstrating resilience and vitality, and making significant contributions to global economic and trade development. First, the growth pace was more stable. According to customs statistics, the total import and export volume reached 45.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.8%, marking the ninth consecutive year of growth. This achievement is inseparable from the solid foundation and strong resilience of the Chinese economy. Against the backdrop of numerous uncertainties in the global economy, China’s foreign trade has maintained stable growth, fully demonstrating China’s important position in global trade. Second, innovation momentum continued to strengthen. Exports of electromechanical products increased by 9%, accounting for over 60% for the first time. The international competitiveness of green and low-carbon products significantly improved, and new business models such as cross-border e-commerce emerged with vitality. This indicates that China’s foreign trade is gradually transforming from traditional labor-intensive industries to technology-intensive and innovation-driven industries, continuously enhancing the added value and competitiveness of its products. Furthermore, trading partners are becoming more diversified. China’s imports and exports with more than 190 countries and regions have increased. Among them, the proportion of imports and exports with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative has risen to 51.9%. This reflects China’s active promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthening trade cooperation with countries along the route, expanding its international market space, and reducing its dependence on a single market. However, in 2026, China faces profound and complex changes in its external environment, with strategic opportunities and risks coexisting, and increasing uncertainties and unpredictable factors. But China’s economy has a stable foundation, numerous advantages, strong resilience, and great potential, and its foreign trade development still possesses many favorable conditions. The Ministry of Commerce stated that it will earnestly implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, focusing on the goals of innovative development and quality improvement, striving to promote trade and investment integration, cultivating new drivers of foreign trade, and making every effort to stabilize the fundamentals of foreign trade, contributing to a good start for the “15th Five-Year Plan”. The Ministry will focus on strengthening efforts to stabilize foreign trade in the following four aspects: First, ensuring the effective implementation of various foreign trade policies. Implementing policies and measures to stabilize foreign trade, providing precise assistance to enterprises, and stabilizing confidence and expectations. Guiding local governments to combine their actual situations, strengthen situation analysis and enterprise-related research, and innovate measures to stabilize foreign trade. Strengthening policy publicity and interpretation to ensure that enterprises are fully informed and enjoy the benefits they are entitled to. Second, increasing efforts to expand diversified markets. Strengthening guidance to local governments and enterprises to help them stabilize traditional markets and expand into emerging markets. Increasing support for enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions and holding a series of trade promotion activities. Successfully hosting the 139th and 140th Canton Fairs. Continuing to compile and issue the “Country Trade Guide” and foreign trade promotion information to help enterprises improve their market development capabilities. Third, we will accelerate the cultivation of new growth drivers. We will guide cross-border e-commerce pilot zones to vigorously develop cross-border e-commerce-enabled industrial belts, strengthen the capacity building of cross-border e-commerce operators, and support overseas warehouse enterprises to accelerate intelligent transformation. We will implement the “Implementation Opinions on Expanding Green Trade,” research and formulate a statistical catalog of import and export of green and low-carbon related products, and enhance the international competitiveness of green and low-carbon products. We will promote the application of artificial intelligence in foreign trade development and improve the digitalization level of the entire trade chain. Fourth, we will promote balanced development of imports and exports. We will establish the “Export to China” brand, select annual theme countries for key matchmaking, hold no fewer than 100 import promotion activities, build exchange and matchmaking platforms, and facilitate the entry of more high-quality products and services from various countries into China to better meet the needs of the people for a better life.