In 2024, the total value of Chinese merchandise imports and exports amounted to about 43.8 trillion yuan. This indicated approximately five percent growth compared to the previous year. China’s international trade relations In 2012, China surpassed the United States to become to the world’s largest trading country in terms of exports and imports of goods. While the United States remained the largest import nation with an import value of around 3.17 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, China ranked first in global exports with an export value of some 3.38 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023.According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2023, the United States was the second most significant export partner of China with a share in total exports of about 14.7 percent. China is also one of the United States’ most potential markets for exports. As of 2024, exports from the United States to China had expanded more than seven-fold since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001. The European Union was the third most important export partner of China as of 2024, after ASEAN and the United States. Exports to the EU are dominated by industrial and consumer goods such as machinery and equipment, as well as footwear and clothing. Chinese imports from the EU are mainly machinery and transport equipment, chemical products and miscellaneous manufactured articles. Hong Kong plays a unique role in intermediating and facilitating trade between China and the rest of the world. Mainland Chinese companies sell goods to Hong Kong which re-exports them at marked up prices. Majority of exports from Hong Kong are re-exports.

Key information about China Export to Import Ratio

• China Export to Import Ratio was reported at 133.003 % in Dec 2023.
• This records an increase from the previous number of 130.596 % for Nov 2023.
• China Export to Import Ratio data is updated monthly, averaging 117.312 % from Jan 1992 to Dec 2023, with 384 observations.
• The data reached an all-time high of 176.127 % in Jan 2009 and a record low of 56.476 % in Feb 2020.
• China Export to Import Ratio data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
• The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.MEI: Export to Import Ratio: Non OECD Member.

Quantities of imports or exports are recorded in terms of units of quantity as specified in the Nomenclature for China Customs Statistics. The weight recorded represents the net weight of goods. Imports are valued on a cif basis and exports on a fob basis. Since 1980, the compilation of Customs statistics follows the concepts and definitions recommended by the United Nations, that is International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions, Rev. 2, New York, UN, 1998 (IMTS). Data include value of total imports and exports in million US dollars.

In 2024, China exported approximately 3.58 trillion U.S. dollars worth of goods. This indicated an increase in export value of about 5.9 percent compared to the previous year. Export of goods from ChinaChina’s exports have been growing steadily over the past decade, with the exception of 2009 when financial crisis and global economic downturn slowed down global trade and 2016 witnessing another decrease in global demand. Apart from being the most populous country, China has also become the largest manufacturing economy and the largest exporter in the world. ASEAN, European Union, and United States were China's leading export partners in 2023. Machinery such as computers, broadcasting technology, and telephones as well as transport equipment make up the largest part of Chinese exports. This category amounted to approximately 1.65 trillion U.S. dollars in export value in 2023. When it comes to primary goods, food and live animals used for food are the main export products.

This page displays a table with China Exports By Category in U.S. dollars, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

Graph and download economic data for International Trade: Ratio: Exports to Imports: Total for China (XTEITT01CNM156N) from Jan 1992 to Oct 2023 about ratio, imports, China, exports, and trade.

In 2023, Chinese exports of trade goods to the United States amounted to about 427.23 billion U.S. dollars; a significant increase from 1985 levels, when imports from China amounted to about 3.86 billion U.S. dollars. U.S. exports to China Compared to U.S. imports from China, the value of U.S. exports to China in 2020 amounted to 427.23billion U.S. dollars. China is the United States’ largest trading partner, while China was the United States third largest goods export market. Some of the leading exports to China in the agricultural sector included soybeans, cotton, and pork products. Texas was the leading state that exported to China in 2020 based on total value of goods exports, at 16.9 billion U.S. dollars. U.S. - China trade war The trade war between the United States and China is an economic conflict between two of the world’s largest national economies. It started in 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump started putting tariffs and trade barriers on China, with the intent to get China to conform to Trump’s wishes. President Trump claimed that China has unfair trade businesses. As a result of this trade war, it has caused a lot of tension between the U.S. and China. Nearly half of American companies impacted by the U.S.-China trade tariffs said that the trade war increased their cost of manufacturing. The healthcare product industry has suffered the most from the trade war in regards to reduced profits.

This page displays a table with China Imports By Country in U.S. dollars, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

Imports in China increased to 369.43 USD Billion in February from 230.79 USD Billion in December of 2024. This dataset provides - China Imports - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 20243, the import value of services to China amounted to around 610.6 billion U.S. dollars, increasing significantly from around 552 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Meanwhile, China's export value in 2024 amounted to about 445.9 billion U.S. dollars. Total value of services imported to and exported from China in 2024 was around 1.06 trillion U.S. dollars.

China Exports Price Index: Commodity data was reported at 1.825 Index, 2015 in 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.815 Index, 2015 for 2024. China Exports Price Index: Commodity data is updated yearly, averaging 1.006 Index, 2015 from Dec 1988 (Median) to 2025, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.846 Index, 2015 in 2022 and a record low of 0.224 Index, 2015 in 1988. China Exports Price Index: Commodity data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.EO: Exports and Imports Price Index: Forecast: Non OECD Member: Annual. PXNW - Price of commodity exportsIndex, OECD reference year OECD calculation, see OECD Economic Outlook database documentation

In 2024, the European Union countries imported approximately 14.4 percent of the Chinese export volume. In that year, ASEAN was the largest Chinese merchandise importer. Distribution of Chinese exports In 2024, China exported goods with a total value of around 25.5 trillion yuan and imported goods with a value of 18.4 trillion yuan. That year, China ranked second among the countries with the largest gross domestic product, following the United States.China’s economic prosperity has been closely related to its status as the world’s factory. For about a decade between 2005 and 2015, exports contributed more than 20 percent to China’s gross domestic product. However, the share of exports to GDP contribution is currently on the decline. Nonetheless, China maintains a trade surplus of about 992 billion U.S. dollars and remains first among countries with the highest trade surplus worldwide as of 2023. While China displays high growth potential for service exports such as tourism, transportation, banking and financial services, as well as insurance and education services, the main focus of China’s export industry remains merchandise. In 2022, Chinese merchandise exports made up 14.4 percent of all global exports, whereas service based exports contributed only six percent.In terms of most exported merchandise categories, food and live animals used for food were the main primary goods. Among the manufactured goods, automatic data processing machines, integrated circuits, clothing, textiles, and smartphones were the categories with the highest export value in China in 2024.

Graph and download economic data for International Trade: Ratio: Exports to Imports: Total for China (XTEITT01CNQ156N) from Q1 1992 to Q3 2023 about ratio, imports, China, exports, and trade.

United States Exports to China was US$143.55 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Exports to China - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on March of 2025.

In 2023, China exported 4.86 billion tons of goods from its coastal ports. That same year, Chinese coastal ports imported approximately 5.98 billion tons of goods. The import value generated from the coastal ports of China constantly exceeded the export value in the last years.

China recorded a trade surplus of 104.84 USD Billion in December of 2024. This dataset provides - China Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Imports: Commodities for China (XTIMVA01CNA659S) from 1993 to 2024 about imports, China, trade, and goods.

Key information about China Total Exports

• China Total Exports recorded 335.6 USD bn in Dec 2024, compared with 312.3 USD bn in the previous month
• China Total Exports data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1992 to Dec 2024, with an averaged value of 106.6 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 340.5 USD bn in Dec 2021 and a record low of 3.4 USD bn in Jan 1993

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Further information about China Total Exports

• In the latest reports, China Total Exports grew 28.1 % YoY in Oct 2021
• Total Imports recorded 230.8 USD bn in Dec 2024, which registered an increase of 20.8 % year on year
• China Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 104.8 USD bn in Dec 2024

Exports YoY in China decreased to 2.30 percent in February from 10.70 percent in December of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for China Exports YoY.

In 2023, Germany imported around 157.2 billion euros worth of goods from China. This was a decrease compared to 2022, which showed the highest value within this time period, at almost 193 billion euros worth of imported goods. Germany also exported around 97 billion euros worth of goods to China, which was a decrease of almost nine percent compared to 2022. The volume of all imports and exports between Germany and China has therefore fallen by more than 15 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, China is still, and has been since 2026, Germany's most important foreign trade partner in terms of total foreign trade volume.

In December 2024, the total exports recorded a year-over-year growth of 10.7 percent. Due to its effective pandemic management, China's foreign trade saw a swift recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.Export industry developmentIn the past decade, China has been the largest exporter of goods in the world, accounting for nearly 14.4 percent of the total global merchandise exports as of 2022. The country’s exports dropped significantly the year after the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, yet reached its record growth of 31.3 percent in 2010. Chinese export growth has been decelerating as a result of the Sino-U.S. trade war between 2017 and 2020. The outbreak of the global Coronavirus pandemic, however, provided the country with a new opportunity in its export trade. That year, China recorded over 21 percent year-on-year growth in exports.Export partnersASEAN countries, the European Union, and the United States were China’s leading export trade partners in 2023. These regions accounted for around half of all exports from China that year. That year, China also hit another record for exports to countries along the BRI (belt-and-road initiative).