In 2023, the total value of Chinese merchandise imports and exports amounted to about 41.8 trillion yuan. This indicated approximately 0.2 percent growth compared to the previous year.
China’s international trade relations
In 2012, China surpassed the United States to become to the world’s largest trading country in terms of exports and imports of goods. While the United States remained the largest import nation with an import value of around 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, China ranked first in global exports with an export value of some 3.6 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2023, the United States was the third most significant export partner of China with a share in total exports of about 14.8 percent. China is also one of the United States’ most potential markets for exports. As of 2023, exports from the United States to China had expanded more than seven-fold since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
The European Union was the second most important export partner of China as of 2023, after ASEAN. Exports to the EU are dominated by industrial and consumer goods such as machinery and equipment, as well as footwear and clothing. Chinese imports from the EU are mainly machinery and transport equipment, chemical products and miscellaneous manufactured articles.
Hong Kong plays a unique role in intermediating and facilitating trade between China and the rest of the world. Mainland Chinese companies sell goods to Hong Kong which re-exports them at marked up prices. Majority of exports from Hong Kong are re-exports.
Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023
(in billion yuan)
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (February 29, 2024). Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in billion yuan) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in billion yuan)." Chart. February 29, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2024). Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in billion yuan). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Total Merchandise Import and Export Value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in Billion Yuan)." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in billion yuan) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Total merchandise import and export value in China from 2013 to 2023 (in billion yuan) [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, February 29, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/257252/import-of-goods-to-china/