Guangzhou (JLC), June 9, 2025--China's foreign trade grew 2.5% year on year to 17.94 trillion yuan (about 2.50 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of 2025, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of the PRC (GACC).
The country's exports gained 7.2% year on year to 10.67 trillion yuan, while imports went down by 3.8% to 7.27 trillion yuan, according to the data.
In May alone, China’s foreign trade grew 2.7% to 3.81 trillion yuan, with exports up 6.3% to 2.28 trillion yuan and imports down 2.1% to 1.53 trillion yuan.
In January-May, the country’s foreign trade by ordinary trade increased 0.8% to 11.51 trillion yuan, accounting for 64.2% of the total. Exports by this trade mode surged by 7.0% to 7.04 trillion yuan, while imports fell by 7.8% to 4.47 trillion yuan, the GACC data shows.
Meanwhile, China's imports and exports by processing trade went up by 6.2% to 3.21 trillion yuan, accounting for 17.9%. Exports grew 4.5% to 1.99 trillion yuan and imports jumped by 9.3% to 1.22 trillion yuan, the data indicates.
The foreign trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China's largest trading partner, soared by 9.1% to 3.02 trillion yuan in the five months, accounting for 16.8% of China’s foreign trade. The exports to the ASEAN grew 13.5% to 1.9 trillion yuan, and the imports from the organization gained 2.3% to 1.12 trillion yuan.
The trade with the European Union (EU), China's second largest trading partner, rose by 2.9% to 2.3 trillion yuan. The exports to it gained 7.7% to 1.57 trillion yuan, while the imports from it declined by 6.1% to 728.33 billion yuan.
In contrast, the trade with the U.S. dropped by 8.1% to 1.72 trillion yuan, with the exports to the country at 1.27 trillion yuan, down 8.7%, and the imports from it at 447.51 billion yuan, down 6.3%, according to the GACC data.
