China’s Foreign Trade Expands 3.6% in First 10 Months, Belt and Road Partners Drive Growth

China’s foreign trade continued to show resilience through the first 10 months of the year, growing by 3.6 percent year-on-year to 37.31 trillion yuan ($5.24 trillion), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Friday. The steady expansion underscores the country’s continued recovery in global commerce despite a complex external environment.
Trade with Belt and Road partner countries remained a key growth engine, surging 5.9 percent year-on-year to 19.28 trillion yuan. This segment accounted for 51.7 percent of China’s total trade, reflecting Beijing’s deepening economic integration with developing and emerging markets under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Private enterprises also played a significant role, contributing 21.28 trillion yuan in trade — a 7.2 percent annual increase — demonstrating the growing dynamism of China’s non-state sector in international trade.
For October alone, China’s total foreign trade volume reached 3.7 trillion yuan, with exports totaling 2.17 trillion yuan and imports amounting to 1.53 trillion yuan. The sustained growth trend suggests that China’s trade structure continues to diversify while maintaining overall stability.