China: Foreign Trade Rises 17.6% in 8 Months to $5.13 Trillion

Beijing – Saba: China's foreign trade recorded strong growth of 17.6% during the first eight months of 2026, driven by a notable rise in imports, which continued to outpace exports for the sixth consecutive month. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China today, Tuesday, the total value of the country's goods imports and exports rose by 17.6% year-on-year, reaching 34.78 trillion yuan (approximately $5.13 trillion US dollars) in the period between January and August, as reported by China's Xinhua News Agency. This growth rate is 0.3 percentage points faster than that recorded in the first seven months of the year. Exports increased by 14.6% year-on-year, reaching 20.17 trillion yuan, while imports expanded by 22% to reach 14.61 trillion yuan, according to the data. In August alone, China's goods trade reached 4.65 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.8% year-on-year, remaining above the 4 trillion yuan threshold for the sixth consecutive month. Exports grew by 18.6% year-on-year in August, while imports rose by 21.7% year-on-year. During August, both exports and imports recorded double-digit growth for the fourth consecutive month, while import growth exceeded export growth for the sixth consecutive month.