MK sports Koreaphoto taken on Dec 10, 2024 shows a view of the international container terminal at Yantai Port in east China's Shandong Province. Photo:Xinhua" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-01-09/52d46017-5244-4969-9ed4-3fa45400c252.jpeg" />

This photo taken on Dec 10, 2024 shows a view of the international container terminal at Yantai Port in east China's Shandong Province. Photo:Xinhua

During and following the Spring Festival holidays, various regions in China, especially the Chinese foreign trade companies, are sparing no effort to achieve a robust start in the year's foreign trade, striving for early-year momentum in 2025.

Sun Lijuan, owner of Yiwu Hongsheng Toys in East China's Zhejiang Province, told the Global Times on Friday that her factory resumed operations on February 5 to meet order demands, and it has had a good start. Her major clients are from the Middle East, South America, Russia and Europe.

"We received quite a number of orders for the new year since the end of last year. Business remained active even during the Chinese New Year holiday. I stayed online on WeChat all the time, handled numerous customer inquiries and orders directly on my phone. There were also new customers who added me on WeChat. I have strong confidence in the year ahead," Sun said.

Nanjing Trans World Trading Co, which specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of medical products, told the Global Times on Friday that the company took an active role in an international exhibition in Dubai during the Chinese New Year holidays.

An employee of the company stated that participating in these exhibitions was a "strong start" for the year. By doing so, they established connections with numerous new clients, paving the way for strong business growth in 2025.

To support foreign trade, Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province has launched a 2025 trade promotion plan, supporting companies to attend 50 key international exhibitions, focusing on traditional markets like Europe and the US, as well as emerging markets along the Belt and Road Initiative, the Nanjing Daily reported.

Other policies are also kicking in to support the high-quality development of China's foreign trade this year.

According to the aviation logistics branch of China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP), China has added 27 new international cargo routes in January, introducing more than 43 additional weekly return flights. Most routes are connected to Europe, with others linking to Asia, South America, and Africa. The cargo primarily includes e-commerce goods, electronics, and auto parts, China Media Group reported.

The Export-Import Bank of China has also recently introduced measures to enhance high quality development of foreign trade. These include increasing credit support, improving the efficiency of financial bonds, and bolstering assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The measures aim to strengthen the manufacturing-based trade system, improve trade infrastructure and logistics, and promote new business models like cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses. They also support trade in intermediate goods, large equipment exports, and innovative sectors such as digital and green trade, ensuring the security and resilience of supply chains, according to the report.

In 2024, China's foreign trade exceeded 43 trillion yuan ($5.99 trillion) for the first time, representing a year-on-year growth of 5 percent. This marks the eighth consecutive year that China has maintained its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods.

China's General Administration of Customs said on Friday that this year, it will introduce special measures to support foreign trade and assist businesses in expanding exports and securing market stability, China News Service reported.

The Ministry of Commerce held the 2025 National Foreign Trade Work Conference in Beijing on Friday. The conference emphasized the distinct advantages of China's large scale market and complete industrial system, as well as the robust resilience of foreign trade development.

Efforts should be exerted to stabilize foreign trade growth, implement policies to help enterprises overcome difficulties, expand new trade formats such as cross-border e-commerce and promote the digital and green development of trade, so as to assist companies in exploring international markets, according to the meeting.