Merchandise Trade Balance in China
The merchandise trade balance in China averaged USD 593 billion in the decade to 2024. The 2024 reading was USD 991 billion. For more information on trade, visit our dedicated page.
China Trade Chart
Note: This chart displays Trade Balance (USD billion) for China from 2014 to 2025.
Source: Macrobond.
China Trade Data
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) | 670 | 838 | 822 | 993 | 1,181 |
Merchandise trade surplus increases in June
Latest reading: In June, the trade balance was USD +125.6 billion, following a USD +105.4 billion figure in the previous month. This was the largest surplus since January 2025. Over the last 12 months, the trade balance summed to USD +1175.2 billion. Merchandise exports were up 27.0% in year-on-year terms in June, following 19.4% growth in the previous month and overshooting market expectations. The expansion was driven by AI-related goods, with chips and computers accounting for over a third of China’s export growth in June. Merchandise imports rose 36.0% in annual terms in June, coming on the back of a 27.4% increase in the previous month. June's reading was the strongest since June 2021.
How should you choose a forecaster if some are too optimistic while others are too pessimistic? FocusEconomics collects Chinese trade projections for the next ten years from a panel of 11 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. By averaging all forecasts, upside and downside forecasting errors tend to cancel each other out, leading to the most reliable trade forecast available for Chinese trade.
Download one of our sample reports to visualize what a Consensus Forecast is and see our Chinese trade projections.
Want to get access to the full dataset of Chinese trade forecasts? Send an email to info@focus-economics.com.
Latest Global Trade News
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Indonesia: Merchandise trade slips into deficit in May Latest reading: In May, the trade balance was USD -0.6 billion, following a USD +1.1 billion reading in the previous... -
China: Merchandise trade surplus increases in June Latest reading: In June, the trade balance was USD +125.6 billion, following a USD +105.4 billion figure in the previous... -
Finland: Merchandise trade deficit widens in May Latest reading: In May, the trade balance was EUR -1.0 billion, following a EUR -0.4 billion reading in the previous... -
Germany: Merchandise trade surplus widens in May Latest reading: In May, the trade balance was EUR +19.1 billion, following a EUR +14.7 billion figure in the previous... -
Taiwan: Merchandise trade surplus shrinks in June Latest reading: In June, the trade balance was USD +12.2 billion, following a USD +17.9 billion reading in the prior... -
Thailand: Merchandise trade deficit narrows in May Latest reading: In May, the trade balance was USD -2.6 billion, following a USD -6.8 billion figure in the prior... -
Brazil: Merchandise trade surplus widens in June Latest reading: In June, the trade balance was USD +9.8 billion, following a USD +7.7 billion figure in the prior...