China's foreign trade up 17.6% in first eight months of 2026

China's foreign trade in goods rose 17.6 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2026 to 34.78 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs on Sept 8.

Exports increased 14.6 percent year-on-year to 20.17 trillion yuan, while imports expanded by 22 percent to 14.61 trillion yuan, the data revealed.

In August alone, China's goods trade totaled 4.65 trillion yuan, up 19.8 percent from a year earlier and remaining above the 4-trillion-yuan mark for a sixth consecutive month.

Exports grew 18.6 percent year-on-year in August, while imports rose by 21.7 percent.

Both exports and imports registered double-digit growth for a fourth straight month, and import growth exceeded that of exports for a sixth successive month.