BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign trade in goods maintained strong growth momentum in the first 10 months of 2026, with imports posting especially robust gains and booming artificial intelligence (AI) demand lifting exports of electronic components, official data showed Tuesday.
Total imports and exports grew 20 percent year on year to 44.81 trillion yuan (about 6.67 trillion U.S. dollars) over the period, accelerating from 18.8 percent in the first nine months, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC). Imports surged 23.6 percent, while exports rose 17.6 percent during the January-October period.
China’s foreign trade has kept up its momentum this year, showing greater resilience and vitality, said Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC’s Department of Statistics and Analysis.
Both imports and exports have now posted double-digit growth for six consecutive months through October, the customs data showed. In October alone, goods trade expanded 31.2 percent.
Notably, imports have been a standout feature this year.
“In the first 10 months, China’s imports from more than 150 countries and regions recorded growth. Imports from ASEAN, Latin America and Africa all reached record highs for the same period,” Lyu said. “China’s vast market continued to offer ‘China opportunities’ to the world.”
On the export side, mechanical and electrical products played a prominent role with a 25.2 percent increase over the period, accounting for 64.7 percent of total exports, up 3.9 percentage points from a year earlier.
Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating, said multiple factors kept export growth elevated in October, noting that the global AI investment boom continued to push up prices of chips and other electronic components and computer parts, driving strong growth in export value.
Moreover, domestic manufacturing upgrades in recent years have also enhanced the competitiveness of new energy vehicles and high-tech products, Wang said.
Smart and green products were among the fastest-growing categories. Exports of integrated circuits and memory components surged 101.9 percent and 132.5 percent, respectively, while 3D printers, digital cameras and industrial robots rose 104.8 percent, 41.4 percent and 17.8 percent.
Exports of China’s “new three” — electric vehicles, photovoltaic products and lithium batteries — grew 46.5 percent, electric motorcycles and bicycles rose 33.3 percent, and wind turbines and their components gained 19.7 percent.
By trading partner, China’s trade with ASEAN grew 24.2 percent in the first 10 months, while trade with the European Union rose 8.5 percent and trade with the United States expanded 6.3 percent. Trade with Belt and Road participating countries grew 18.5 percent over the same period.
Looking ahead, experts believe the strong exports will extend through to the end of the year.
As the AI cycle remains in an upswing, China will continue to benefit as a global hub of electronics supply chains, Zhang Di, a macro analyst at China Galaxy Securities, said.
The ongoing global green and low-carbon transition, combined with China’s rising competitiveness in mechanical equipment, will sustain strong growth in new energy vehicles, ships and other transport machinery, Zhang added.
