CHINA MAINTAINS STRONG TRADE GROWTH WITH ASEAN, BRI COUNTRIES IN JANUARY TO MAY -- GAC
From Kisho Kumari Sucedaram
BEIJING, June 9 (Bernama) – China’s trade with ASEAN and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries continued to gain traction in the first five months of 2025, with trade between China and ASEAN rising 9.1 per cent year-on-year to 3.02 trillion yuan (US$415.5 billion).
Trade with BRI countries climbed 4.2 per cent to 9.24 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner in the January-May period this year.
Overall, it said China's total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 2.5 per cent year-on-year to 17.94 trillion yuan (US$2.5 trillion) in the first five months, reflecting the resilience of foreign trade despite external headwinds.
The country's total exports rose 7.2 per cent year-on-year to 10.67 trillion yuan, while imports slid 3.8 per cent year-on-year to 7.27 trillion yuan between January and May this year.
Citing the report published in the Global Times, China's total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms grew by 2.7 per cent year-on-year to 3.81 trillion yuan in May alone.
Meanwhile, China’s trade with the European Union (EU) increased 2.9 per cent to 2.3 trillion yuan, while trade with the United States fell 8.1 per cent to 1.72 trillion yuan in the same five-month period.
The GAC said the country has maintained its foreign trade resilience and stable growth despite external environment challenges, and would continue implementing measures to optimise China’s trade structure to ensure high-quality development of foreign commerce.
-- BERNAMA
