China's total imports and exports with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 23.6 trillion yuan ($3.38 trillion) in 2025, marking an increase of 6.3 percent. This growth rate was 2.5 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade. In terms of proportion, the share of these partner countries in the country's total foreign trade, which had already exceeded 50 percent in 2024, further rose to 51.9 percent in 2025, according to the country's General Administration of Customs on Wednesday.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will seize strategic opportunities to advance high-quality Belt and Road development through strengthened alignment and deepened cooperation, said Bao Shujun, director of the Foreign Liaison Office, International Cooperation Center at the National Development and Reform Commission, in an interview with CGTN's Li Mengyuan. China will expand two-way investment, explore new prospects in green and digital sectors, and accelerate the building of Innovation, Digital and Green Silk Roads, Bao added.