SCIO briefing on China's imports, exports in Q1 2026

Jiupai News:

Private enterprises have been China's largest foreign trade segment for several consecutive years. My question is: How did private enterprises perform in terms of imports and exports in the first quarter of this year? What were the main features and highlights? What will China Customs do next to help private enterprises explore international markets? Thank you.

Wang Jun:

Thank you for your questions. As just reported, in the first quarter, private enterprises in China saw imports and exports grow 16.2%, with exports up 12.7% and imports up 23.5% — both outpacing the national average, further cementing their position as China's largest foreign trade segment. Since the start of this year, private enterprise trade has shown three characteristics:

First, private enterprises have led the way in market expansion. Private enterprises, drawing on their flexible mechanisms, sharp market awareness and innovative spirit, have steadily expanded into emerging markets while consolidating their foothold in traditional ones. In the first quarter, imports and exports by private enterprises to traditional markets grew 12.3%. Meanwhile, their trade with ASEAN, Africa and Central Asia grew 17.8%, 30.2% and 31.2%, respectively.

Second, exports and imports of high-tech products have advanced in tandem. Private enterprises are moving up the value chain in processing and manufacturing, with exports of high-tech, high-value-added products growing rapidly. In the first quarter, private enterprise exports of ships and offshore engineering equipment rose 41.3%, aerospace equipment grew 25.6% and medical instruments climbed 19.1%. At the same time, private enterprises have been aligning with industrial development trends to expand imports of advanced technical equipment and key components. In the first quarter, imports of petrochemical machinery rose 25.8%, heavy machinery grew 126.7% and electronic information products climbed 46.6%.

Third, they have been quick to respond to market demand. Private enterprises have shown strong adaptability, accurately gauging and quickly responding to market demand, developing products that meet market needs and driving competitiveness upgrades. For example, motor scooters exported to South America are built for strong power and long range, capable of handling the complex hilly and mountainous terrain. Another example is land-based intelligent wind turbines exported to the Caucasus region, custom-built for local high wind speed conditions to meet project requirements for environmental adaptability and power generation performance. In the first quarter, private enterprises' exports of motor scooters and bicycles rose 30%, while wind power generator sets and their parts and other green and low-carbon products grew 53.1%.

Not long ago, the GACC held a dialogue with enterprises, gathering face-to-face feedback and suggestions from various types of businesses, including private enterprises. We will adhere to enterprise demands as our guiding principle, relying on the established customs-enterprise dialogue mechanism to continuously deepen reforms and vigorously promote cross-border trade facilitation. We will also work to create a first-class port business environment and help enterprises expand markets, stabilize orders and increase efficiency.

Thank you.