Cargo vessels handle foreign trade containers at Lianyungang Port container terminal, East China’s Jiangsu Province, in the early morning of October 14, 2026. Photo: CNS Photo

China’s foreign trade has maintained strong growth momentum in the first 10 months of 2026, with total goods imports and exports rising 20 percent year-on-year to 44.81 trillion yuan ($6.3 trillion), customs data showed on Tuesday.

Both imports and exports posted double-digit growth during the past six consecutive months, while shipments of integrated circuits, automobiles and other major manufactured products saw strong gains in October.

According to the General Administration of Customs (GAC), exports climbed 17.6 percent year-on-year to 25.99 trillion yuan in the January-October period, while imports grew at a faster pace of 23.6 percent to 18.82 trillion yuan.

In October alone, total goods trade surged 31.2 percent year-on-year to 4.87 trillion yuan. Exports rose 28.7 percent to 2.79 trillion yuan, while imports jumped 34.7 percent to 2.08 trillion yuan.

Integrated circuits stood out among major export categories, with shipments by value soaring 137.1 percent year-on-year to $39.59 billion in October, according to GAC data. Automobile exports climbed 37.6 percent to $19.69 billion, while mobile phone exports increased 13.2 percent to $17.57 billion.

Rare-earth exports also registered strong growth in value terms, rising 45 percent year-on-year to $82.24 million in October.

The latest figures extended a strong performance in the first three quarters, when China’s foreign trade grew 18.8 percent year-on-year to reach 39.94 trillion yuan. Growth accelerated from 15.3 percent in the first quarter to 18.3 percent in the second and 22.3 percent in the third, according to GAC data released on October 14.