Beijing: ASEAN remained as China’s largest trading partner in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) accounting for 16.6 per cent of China’s total foreign trade volume, according to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, total trade for 1Q 2025 grew 7.1 per cent to 1.71 trillion yuan (US$234.17 billion) year-on-year with Vietnam being China’s largest trading partner at 0.46 trillion yuan, an increase of 10.5 per cent. GAC spokesperson L Daliang indicated that manufacturing products accounted for 90.1 per cent of China’s trade with ASEAN countries.

‘In 1Q 2025, China imported agricultural products worth 52.65 billion yuan from ASEAN countries, an increase of 13.8 per cent, while exporting 37.92 billion yuan worth of agricultural products to ASEAN countries, up 1.4 per cent,’ he said, as quoted in the Global Times here.

He also said that infrastructure construction connectivity between China and ASEAN countries is progressing steadily, which paves the way for smoother trade exchanges, boosting economic ties. He also noted that negotiations for the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) has been substantively concluded.

‘Both sides will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging industries such as digital and green economy as well as supply chain connectivity, while enhancing integration in areas like standards and regulations,’ he said.

As for China’s other trading partners, the European Union is its second largest trading partner with total trade at 1.30 trillion yuan, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous year. This is followed by the United States at 1.11 trillion yuan (+4.0 per cent), South Korea at 0.53 trillion yuan (-0.1 per cent) and Japan at 0.52 trillion yuan (+0.5 per cent).