China recorded the world's largest trade surplus in 2025, up about 20% from 2024, highlighting the country's economic resilience in the face of continued trade pressure from the United States.
Overall, China's foreign trade in goods reached $6.48 trillion, according to official data from the General Administration of Customs, with growth recorded for the ninth consecutive year.
The country's trade surplus reached a record high of $1.2 trillion, reflecting the widening gap between exports and imports.
The performance was achieved despite China facing an increasingly challenging external environment, as exports were successfully driven to other global markets outside the United States. Exports of high-tech goods, including advanced machine tools and industrial robots, recorded double-digit year-on-year growth.
Meanwhile, exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products such as solar panels increased significantly, reflecting China's continued shift towards high-value-added industries.
This trade strength continues to be highlighted as a sign of China's economic resilience, even as exports to the United States have fallen sharply amid trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.
During the period, China has expanded its export reach to other markets, leveraging the global economic networks it has built since the first trade conflict under President Donald Trump.
However, China's export expansion has also sparked friction with key trading partners, as several countries have raised concerns about what it sees as unfair trade practices and Chinese dumping that is weighing on their domestic industries.
Nevertheless, Beijing's strong export performance over the past year has strengthened Beijing's position in trade talks with Washington.
The talks culminated in October, when both sides agreed to a trade truce that saw new tariffs on Chinese goods reduced to 20%, after tariffs had soared to as high as 145% earlier in the year.
The truce remains in effect, but new risks have emerged following the announcement of additional tariffs on countries doing business with Iran.
The development has potential implications for China, given its role as Tehran's main trading partner.
Latest data shows that China's trade with the United States, traditionally the country's largest single export market, fell by almost 17% in the first 11 months of the year.
In this environment, Chinese exporters appear poised to face further uncertainty, particularly as the US administration continues to emphasize its agenda of reducing dependence on China and reviving domestic manufacturing.
