China's foreign trade surges 20% in first 10 months of 2026

China's foreign trade in goods maintained strong growth momentum in the first 10 months of 2026, with imports posting especially robust gains, official data showed on Tuesday.

Total imports and exports grew 20% year-on-year over the period to 44.81 trillion yuan ($6.72 trillion), accelerating from 18.8% in the first nine months, according to the General Administration of Customs. Imports surged 23.6% to 18.82 trillion yuan, while exports rose 17.6% to 25.99 trillion yuan during the January-October period.

In October alone, imports increased 34.7% to 2.08 trillion yuan, while exports rose 28.7% to 2.79 trillion yuan.

A deeper dive into the data reveals a shift—that China is rapidly evolving into a global AI hardware hub.

In the first ten months, China's integrated circuit imports reached 3.88 trillion yuan, an enormous 58% year-on-year increase, while its exports more than doubled, jumping 101.9% to 2.33 trillion yuan.

The trade data also underscores a structural transition in China's export mix, with new high-tech drivers significantly outpacing traditional, labor-intensive goods.

Outbound shipments of vehicles reached 9.74 million units in the first 10 months, up 49.6%. The total value of ship exports rose 22.4%, and high-tech product exports increased 41.6%.

Meanwhile, China continues to strengthen trade ties with regional partners.

In the first ten months, trade with ASEAN nations grew 24.2% to 7.68 trillion yuan, followed by the EU (5.29 trillion yuan) and the US (3.59 trillion yuan), while trade with Belt and Road partner countries totaled 22.88 trillion yuan, an increase of 18.5%.