China’s goods trade reached 37.31 trillion yuan (US$5.24 trillion) in the first 10 months of 2025, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, according to multiple media reports.
The figures, released Friday by the General Administration of Customs, show exports rising 6.2 percent year-on-year to 22.12 trillion yuan (US$3.11 trillion) for the January to October period. Imports edged up 0.1 percent, to 15.19 trillion yuan (US$2.13 trillion).
However, October alone saw exports unexpectedly contract by 1.1 percent year-on-year in dollar terms. This was in stark contrast to September’s 8.3 percent growth, and could mean the practice of front-loading US orders has tapered off, according to Reuters.
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Both general trade and processing trade posted gains over the 10 months, supported by strong exports of automobiles and integrated circuits. Trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union and Belt and Road countries expanded during the period. China’s private enterprises saw a 7.2 percent increase in trade activity from a year earlier.
China has been doggedly working to diversify its export markets since US President Donald Trump launched a tariff war earlier this year, sending Chinese shipments to the US tumbling.
The countries’ respective presidents agreed to a tactical trade truce in late October, which reduced tariffs on US imports from China and paused Beijing’s proposed retaliatory tightening of export controls on rare earths.
