Beijing: 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 percent year-on-year to 3.02 trillion yuan (US$415.5 billion). Trade with BRI countries climbed 4.2 percent to 9.24 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, ASEAN remained China’s largest trading partner in the January-May period this year. Overall, China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 2.5 percent 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 percent year-on-year to 10.67 trillion yuan, while imports slid 3.8 percent 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 percent year-on-year to 3.81 trillion yuan in May alone. Meanwhile, China’s trade with the European Union (EU) increased 2.9 percent to 2.3 trillion yuan, while trade with the United States fell 8.1 percent 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 optimize China’s trade structure to ensure high-quality development of foreign commerce.