MK sport a main port in North China for trade with BRI partner countries, on December 18, 2024 Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-27/64c4de3a-ad11-4f39-b0c2-55b199158722.jpeg" />

Tianjin Port in North China’s Tianjin Municipality, a main port in North China for trade with BRI partner countries, on December 18, 2024 Photo: VCG

China's trade in goods started 2025 on an overall stable note in the first two months of the year, as the country's exports rose by 3.4 percent year-on-year to reach 3.88 trillion yuan ($535.25 billion), marking a record high for the period, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Friday.

During the period, total imports and exports reached 6.54 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 1.2 percent. However, after adjusting for one-off factors, total foreign trade saw a year-on-year growth of 1.7 percent, according to the GAC.

The latest GAC data also showed that China's foreign trade structure continues to improve. In the first two months, exports of machinery and electronics reached 2.33 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for 60 percent of the total export value.

Among them, exports of automatic data processing equipment and its components reached 217.68 billion yuan, up 11.7 percent, while integrated circuits reached 180.44 billion yuan, up 13.2 percent, according to the GAC data.

"This fully demonstrates the advantages of China's massive market, its comprehensive industrial system and the resilience of its foreign trade sector," Huo Jianguo, a vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Friday.

In terms of trading partners, ASEAN, the EU, the US, and South Korea were the top four in the first two months.

ASEAN was China's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 1.03 trillion yuan, up 4 percent year-on-year. The EU was China's second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 833.34 billion yuan. The US ranked third, with a trade volume totaling 733.67 billion yuan, up 3.5 percent.

Huo noted that China's foreign trade continues to build on the strong growth momentum seen in 2024, as China's high-quality products are widely welcomed by consumers worldwide.

In 2024, China's total import and export volume of goods reached 43 trillion yuan, maintaining its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods for the eighth consecutive year and becoming a major trading partner for over 150 countries and regions, Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce, said on Thursday at a press conference on the sidelines of the two sessions.

China's trade partnerships have become more diversified, as the country has become a primary trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions, with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative accounting for over 50 percent of China's total foreign trade for the first time, said Wang.

By 2024, China has signed 23 free trade agreements with 30 countries and regions, and the proportion of trade with these free trade partners has risen to 34 percent.

Wang also noted that from small appliances like coffee machines and robotic vacuum cleaners to larger products such as electric vehicles and industrial robots, China's exports are becoming more technology-intensive and widely recognized globally.