At coastal automated ports, ships dock in quick succession as containers are loaded and unloaded, with rows of new energy vehicles driven onto massive roll-on/roll-off vessels bound for international markets. From factory assembly lines to power station inspections, and from construction sites to supermarket cleaning, Chinese robots are deploying worldwide across a variety of production and service roles. On cloud platforms powered by the internet and big data, uninterrupted livestreams featuring "real people, AI digital humans, products, and assembly lines" are creating a new "24/7" cross-border e-commerce landscape.

In the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, foreign trade has started with strong momentum and robust growth, demonstrating a trend of simultaneous increases in volume and quality, a shift toward green and innovative sectors, and an optimized structure of both imports and exports. In the first seven months of this year, China's total goods trade import and export value reached 30.13 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.3%. Exports grew by 14%, while imports rose by 22%. Against a backdrop of slowing global trade growth and rising protectionism, China's foreign trade has shown remarkable resilience and exceeded expectations.

Exports Surge on Deep Integration of Technology and Innovation

An average of 2.5 cars depart from Taicang Port every minute! As a key automobile export hub for Jiangsu Province and the Yangtze River basin, Taicang Port is bustling with activity. Vehicles from manufacturers across provinces including Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, and Chongqing gather here for shipment to 166 countries and regions worldwide. According to statistics from Taicang Customs under Nanjing Customs, the port exported over 600,000 vehicles in the first half of this year, including 400,000 electric vehicles, a year-on-year increase of approximately 89%. He Shaojun, head of the Department of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, noted that China's electric vehicle, lithium battery, and artificial intelligence industries are developing rapidly, with strong export momentum. Exports of AI-related products like industrial robots and 3D printers have performed exceptionally well, becoming new "business cards" for "Made in China." This is the result of multiple factors, including China's solid industrial foundation, market-driven iterative upgrades, corporate innovation breakthroughs, and international cooperation.

In a Thai auto parts factory, Chinese-made industrial robots skillfully handle welding and搬运 (handling) tasks and participate in digital twin optimization of the entire production line. At a logistics center in Germany, Chinese autonomous mobile robots deeply integrate with local warehouse management systems, boosting management efficiency. Globally, 9 out of 10 consumer-grade 3D printers are made in Shenzhen, Guangdong. A supply chain cluster for consumer-grade 3D printers has formed in the Greater Bay Area, centered around Shenzhen, with the "3D printing industry belt" along the Nanshan-Longhua-Longgang axis ensuring that about 80% of core components can be delivered within a two-hour drive.

The biopharmaceutical sector is also seeing a flurry of innovation. In the first half of this year, China approved 38 new drugs for market, with 31, or over 80%, being domestically developed. During the same period, Chinese innovative drugs secured 81 out-licensing deals with a total transaction value of approximately $110 billion, reaching 80% of the full-year total for 2025. From new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products leading globally to the accelerated overseas expansion of robots, AI, and innovative drugs, the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation is continuously translating into new drivers for foreign trade growth. In the first seven months, China's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 11.12 trillion yuan, up 21.2%, accounting for 63.8% of total exports, an increase of 3.8 percentage points from the same period last year. Exports of green and low-carbon products like electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind power generators grew by 71.2%, 35.8%, and 34.8%, respectively, while exports of 3D printers and industrial robots surged by 110% and 13.2%.

Discerning Market Demand to Provide Stable Supply

Yiwu, Zhejiang, is seeing another export boom! From the surge in World Cup merchandise for the US, Canada, and Mexico, to rapidly innovating "cooling products" for the European heatwave, Yiwu's diverse foreign trade hits have consistently captured attention this year. Now, with over four months until Christmas, orders for festive goods from around the world are pouring into Yiwu, prompting local factories to start production early. Yiwu's sustained foreign trade success stems not just from low prices and good quality, but from merchants' keen insight into overseas market demand and their core competitiveness in quickly turning ideas into products. According to Yiwu Customs, the total import and export value of Yiwu in the first half of this year was 486.42 billion yuan, up 19.9% year-on-year. Exports exceeded 400 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 420.72 billion yuan (up 17.3%), while imports were 65.7 billion yuan (up 39.1%).

Similarly, leveraging its robust industrial system, Guangdong has firmly seized market opportunities. In the first half of this year, Guangzhou's consumer goods export growth rate exceeded 20%. Air conditioners, as a representative "cooling appliance," saw exports of 3.6 billion yuan. The EU is Guangzhou's largest market for air conditioner exports, accounting for over a third, with exports to France and the Netherlands doubling. In Dongguan, Guangdong, the number of destinations for sporting goods exports expanded from 95 countries and regions in the same period last year to 135 this year, with over 5,400 local sporting goods export companies receiving orders quickly and offering a wide variety of products. Huangpu Customs has implemented multiple measures to help convert "event traffic" into "foreign trade increments."

The export of high-end equipment is another strong indicator of foreign trade resilience. In the first half of this year, China's exports of specialized equipment, ships, and marine engineering equipment reached 540.24 billion yuan and 214.99 billion yuan, respectively, up 24.4% and 19.9%. From intelligent excavators and heavy-duty gas turbines to offshore platforms, batches of Chinese equipment are playing key roles in major projects across various countries, providing optimal solutions for different regions and application scenarios. Amidst tensions in the Middle East in the first half of the year, the global supply of chemical products tightened. Leveraging its full-chain supporting capabilities, China quickly absorbed external sudden demand, with exports of basic organic chemicals and primary plastics growing by 25.1% and 35%, respectively, helping stabilize relevant global production and supply chains. "With a complete industrial supporting system, China continues to provide stable and reliable production supplies for the industrial development of other countries and a rich variety of consumption choices for local residents," said Wang Jun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs. "Made in China" is continuously improving in terms of quality, efficiency, and service, and will continue to meet the production and consumption needs of different fields and levels globally.

Continuously Expanding Imports to Share Development Opportunities

Recently, a batch of South African grapefruit and Egyptian fresh oranges was quickly cleared through customs at Yangshan Port under Shanghai Customs. After the implementation of the zero-tariff measure, the import cost for a single container of fruit decreased by about 17%. Combined with customs facilitation measures, the logistics cycle has been effectively shortened, further stabilizing the supply of African fresh produce to China. Starting May 1st this year, China implemented a zero-tariff policy for all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. Customs statistics show that in the two months following the implementation (May and June), China's total imports from Africa reached 193.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.5%, with high-quality products from Africa flowing continuously into the vast Chinese market. China's imports of aquatic products and textile raw materials from Africa both achieved double-digit growth year-on-year, while imports of avocados, apples, oranges, and grapefruit grew by 130%, 89.6%, 27.9%, and 11.9%, respectively.

The ever-expanding Chinese market continues to be a major global opportunity. In the first half of the year, China's import scale exceeded 10 trillion yuan for the first time in a historical period, up 22.1% year-on-year, a growth rate 8.7 percentage points higher than exports. Imports from over 150 countries and regions increased. By actively expanding autonomous opening-up and proactively increasing imports, China is promoting a more balanced development of foreign trade. Milk from Oceania, coffee from Africa, and salmon from Europe are being shipped across the oceans and into the shopping carts of ordinary Chinese people. More and more global products are "flying into ordinary homes," vividly demonstrating China's continued market opening and sharing of development opportunities with the world, as well as its efforts to expand imports to meet the people's demand for a higher quality of life.

Recently, a batch of 3,531.5 kilograms of Norwegian fresh Atlantic salmon, still carrying the chill of Nordic waters, arrived by air at Beijing Capital International Airport. The journey from being caught off the coast of Norway to reaching the Chinese dining table can take as little as 96 hours. In the first half of this year, demand for high-end fresh food in Beijing continued to rise. Capital Airport Customs, using a "whitelist + sampling release" method, inspected and released 5,583.5 tons of fresh aquatic products valued at 411 million yuan. Since the beginning of this year, China has granted market access for 264 types of agricultural and food products from 79 new countries, with the sources of imported agricultural and food products now covering over 150 countries and regions. To date, China has implemented zero-tariff policies for 63 countries, and its import scale has remained the world's second-largest for 17 consecutive years. China is now a major trading partner for over 160 countries and regions, with a wider range of import sources, more categories, and an improved structure. Wang Xiaosong, a professor at Renmin University of China, stated that China possesses the world's most complete industrial system, enabling effective supply and large-scale imports, which lays the foundation for foreign trade growth. Simultaneously, China's advantages of its super-large market, innovation-driven development, and the dividends from expanding opening-up policies are being continuously released, collectively driving foreign trade growth.