November 10, 2026. China's foreign trade grew 20 % year on year in January-October to 44.81 trillion yuan, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday. In October alone, exports rose 28.7 % to 2.79 trillion yuan and imports 34.7 % to 2.08 trillion.
What China sells
Over ten months, exports reached 25.99 trillion yuan (+17.6 %) and imports 18.82 trillion (+23.6 %). Xinhua reports that mechanical and electrical products accounted for 16.81 trillion yuan of exports, up 25.2 % and 64.7 % of the total. Some lines grew especially fast:
- Storage components: +132.5 %.
- 3D printers: +104.8 %.
- Integrated circuits: +101.9 %.
- Digital cameras: +41.4 %.
- Industrial robots: +17.8 %.
Labor-intensive products rose only 2.4 %, according to China Securities Journal. Trade with ASEAN grew 24.2 %, with the EU 8.5 % and with the United States 6.3 %.
What China buys
Lü Daliang, director of statistics and analysis at customs, said China increased imports from more than 150 countries and regions, and that purchases from ASEAN, Latin America and Africa hit their highest level for the period. Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank, credited resilient external demand and the AI supply chain. The data came a day after China reported factory-gate prices up 5.7 %, so part of the rise in value may reflect higher prices rather than volume.
Our take
The numbers open two doors. Producers of food, beverages, minerals or manufactured goods in the Americas face a growing Chinese market, and buyers have a wider choice of electronics, cameras and robots, though component prices are moving.
- Check registration and labeling rules before you pitch Chinese buyers; our export to China service helps.
- Compare at least three suppliers with full technical sheets through product sourcing.
- Book a product inspection before shipment, especially for electronics.
