On October 24, the General Administration of Customs released data showing that in the first three quarters of this year, China’s import and export of goods totaled 31.11 trillion yuan, up 9.9% year on year.
The proportion of import and export of general trade increased

According to customs data, China’s total import and export value in the first three quarters was 31.11 trillion yuan, up 9.9% year on year. Among them, the export was 17.67 trillion yuan, up 13.8% year on year; Import reached 13.44 trillion yuan, up 5.2% year on year; The trade surplus was 4.23 trillion yuan, an increase of 53.7%.
Measured in US dollars, China’s total import and export value in the first three quarters was 4.75 trillion US dollars, up 8.7% year on year. Among them, exports reached 2.7 trillion US dollars, up 12.5% year on year; Imports reached 2.05 trillion US dollars, up 4.1% year on year; The trade surplus was 645.15 billion US dollars, an increase of 51.6%.
In September, China’s total import and export value was 3.81 trillion yuan, up 8.3% year on year. Among them, the export reached 2.19 trillion yuan, up 10.7% year on year; Imports reached 1.62 trillion yuan, up 5.2% year on year; The trade surplus was 573.57 billion yuan, an increase of 29.9%.
Measured in US dollars, China’s total import and export value in September was 560.77 billion US dollars, up 3.4% year on year. Among them, the export reached USD 322.76 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 5.7%; Imports reached US $238.01 billion, up 0.3% year on year; The trade surplus was US $84.75 billion, an increase of 24.5%.
In the first three quarters, the import and export of general trade saw double-digit growth and increased proportion. Statistics show that in the first three quarters, China’s general trade import and export amounted to 19.92 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.7%, accounting for 64% of China’s total foreign trade, 2.1 percentage points higher than the same period last year. Among them, the export reached 11.3 trillion yuan, up 19.3%; Imports reached 8.62 trillion yuan, up 7.1%.
Over the same period, the import and export of processing trade reached 6.27 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.4%, accounting for 20.2%. Among them, the export was 3.99 trillion yuan, up 5.4%; Imports totaled 2.28 trillion yuan, basically unchanged from the same period last year. In addition, China’s imports and exports in the form of bonded logistics reached 3.83 trillion yuan, up 9.2%. Among them, the export was 1.46 trillion yuan, up 13.6%; Imports totaled 2.37 trillion yuan, up 6.7%.
The export of mechanical and electrical products and labor-intensive products increased. Statistics show that in the first three quarters, China exported 10.04 trillion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, an increase of 10%, accounting for 56.8% of the total export value. Among them, automatic data processing equipment and its parts and components totaled 1.18 trillion yuan, up 1.9%; Mobile phones totaled 672.25 billion yuan, up 7.8%; Automobiles totaled 259.84 billion yuan, up 67.1%. Over the same period, the export of labor-intensive products reached 3.19 trillion yuan, up 12.7%, accounting for 18%.
Continuous optimization of foreign trade structure
The data shows that in the first three quarters, China’s imports and exports to ASEAN, the EU, the United States and other major trading partners increased.
ASEAN is China’s largest trading partner. The total trade value between China and ASEAN is 4.7 trillion yuan, an increase of 15.2%, accounting for 15.1% of China’s total foreign trade value. Among them, the export to ASEAN was 2.73 trillion yuan, up 22%; Import from ASEAN was 1.97 trillion yuan, up 6.9%; The trade surplus with ASEAN was 753.6 billion yuan, an increase of 93.4%.
The EU is China’s second largest trading partner. The total trade value between China and the EU is 4.23 trillion yuan, up 9%, accounting for 13.6%. Among them, the export to EU was 2.81 trillion yuan, up 18.2%; Imports from the EU reached 1.42 trillion yuan, down 5.4%; The trade surplus with the EU was 1.39 trillion yuan, an increase of 58.8%.
The United States is China’s third largest trading partner. The total trade value between China and the United States is 3.8 trillion yuan, up 8%, accounting for 12.2%. Among them, the export to the United States was 2.93 trillion yuan, up 10.1%; The import from the United States was 865.13 billion yuan, up 1.3%; The trade surplus with the United States was 2.07 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.2%.
South Korea is China’s fourth largest trading partner. The total trade value between China and South Korea is 1.81 trillion yuan, up 7.1%, accounting for 5.8%. Among them, the export to South Korea was 802.83 billion yuan, up 16.5%; Imports from South Korea totaled 1.01 trillion yuan, up 0.6%; The trade deficit with South Korea was 206.66 billion yuan, down 34.2%.
Over the same period, China’s imports and exports to countries along the “the Belt and Road” totaled 10.04 trillion yuan, an increase of 20.7%. Among them, the export was 5.7 trillion yuan, up 21.2%; Imports reached 4.34 trillion yuan, up 20%.
The continuous optimization of the foreign trade structure is also reflected in the rapid growth of the import and export of private enterprises and the increase of their proportion.
According to the customs statistics, in the first three quarters, the import and export of private enterprises reached 15.62 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.5%, accounting for 50.2% of China’s total foreign trade value, 2 percentage points higher than the same period last year. Among them, the export value was 10.61 trillion yuan, up 19.5%, accounting for 60% of the total export value; Imports reached 5.01 trillion yuan, up 5.4%, accounting for 37.3% of the total import value.