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The General Administration of Customs released data on August 7, 2026 showing that China’s foreign trade expanded 19.2 percent year on year in July to 4.66 trillion yuan. This monthly performance accelerated from the 16.9 percent growth recorded for the first half of the year according to an earlier report from the same administration. Exports and imports both drove the July increase although separate breakdowns for each were not detailed in the immediate release.
The customs administration further reported that total foreign trade for the first seven months reached 30.13 trillion yuan, a 17.3 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Exports during those seven months rose 14 percent to 17.44 trillion yuan while imports jumped 22 percent to 12.69 trillion yuan. The figures from the General Administration of Customs confirm that the parts sum precisely to the overall total.
According to the General Administration of Customs assessment, exports of mechanical and electrical products gained ground in the January to July period, climbing 21.2 percent to 11.12 trillion yuan. Those products accounted for 63.8 percent of all exports, an increase of 3.8 percentage points from the prior year. The administration’s data places this category at the forefront of the export mix.
The General Administration of Customs breakdown also highlighted sharp gains in specific high-tech items during the first seven months. Exports of 3D printers surged 110 percent to 11.2 billion yuan while those of industrial robots advanced 13.2 percent to 7.34 billion yuan. Ship exports rose 32.7 percent to 268.14 billion yuan over the same span.
Earlier figures published by People’s Daily in mid-July had already signaled the first-half expansion of 16.9 percent, a pace that the stronger July outcome helped elevate for the cumulative period. The General Administration of Customs data underscores the continued contribution of advanced manufacturing to overall trade volumes. No specific partner-country breakdowns appeared in the latest release.
A review of comparable periods by the General Administration of Customs shows the current seven-month total exceeds levels seen in recent years before the latest global supply adjustments. The administration has consistently tracked such shifts through its monthly and cumulative releases. These statistics remain the primary reference for measuring the trajectory of China’s external trade.
