China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports surged by 10.8 percent in 2024, reflecting growing demand from international consumers for high-quality Chinese products, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.
The ministry noted that China's foreign trade has shown remarkable resilience in the past year despite a challenging global environment.
The total value of China's trade in goods reached 43.85 trillion yuan (around 6.16 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, representing a 5-percent increase over the previous year. Imports saw a record-breaking rise of 2.3 percent, maintaining China's position as the world's second-largest importer for the 16th consecutive year.
The number of foreign trade entities also increased, with nearly 700,000 companies reporting import and export activities in 2024.
China's export structure continued to improve last year, the ministry said, with mechanical and electrical products accounting for 59.4 percent of total exports. The exports of energy storage products, smart home devices, and other green, low-carbon, intelligent and digital products saw rapid growth, while traditional sectors like textiles and apparel were increasingly focusing on brand development and technological enhancements.
"New business forms have demonstrated vitality. In 2024, China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports grew by 10.8 percent, contributing to 6 percent of the country's foreign trade. This allows more high-quality products to reach overseas consumers directly," said Meng Yue, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Foreign Trade, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
The ministry highlighted that China's trade with traditional markets continued to grow in 2024, while its trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) became an even larger portion of the total, accounting for 50.3 percent.
At present, China is a primary trade partner for over 150 countries and regions and has signed 23 free trade agreements with 30 countries and regions across five continents.
In the first three quarters of 2024, China's contribution to global import growth reached 20.3 percent, significantly boosting the recovery of the world economy.
China's cross-border e-commerce grew strongly in 2024: ministry
China's stock market demonstrated robust performance in 2025 with new records in various sectors.
Against the backdrop of global liquidity easing and evolving industrial policies, the A-share market experienced a landmark year. Multiple key metrics - including total market capitalization, trading volume, as well as margin trading and short selling balances - achieved historic breakthroughs, demonstrating remarkable vitality and resilience.
In terms of overall performance, as of Dec. 31, 2025, the total market capitalization of A-shares reached approximately 118.91 trillion yuan, marking a net increase of 25.30 trillion yuan from the year's opening level of 93.61 trillion yuan. This represents a growth rate of 27.03 percent, according to data from financial information provider Wind.
In 2025, major A-share indices extended their annual gains compared to 2024.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the Shanghai Composite Index stood at 3,968.84 points, marking an annual increase of 18.41 percent - the largest annual gain since 2020. The Shenzhen Component Index rose 29.87 percent for the year, while the ChiNext Index surged 49.57 percent. The Beijing Stock Exchange 50 Index recorded an annual gain of 38.80 percent, while the STAR Market 50 Index rose 35.92 percent for the year.
As major indices rose, market trading activity intensified. Throughout 2025, the A-share market recorded a total trading value of approximately 420 trillion yuan, marking a growth of over 60 percent compared to the previous year and nearly doubling the 2023 annual value. It also marked the first time in history that the annual trading value surpassed the 400 trillion yuan threshold.
The margin trading and short selling scale in the A-share market expanded rapidly in 2025. As of the year end, the outstanding margin trading and short selling balance in the A-share market increased by 690.7 billion yuan during the year to reach 2.5 trillion yuan, setting a new historical high.
Notably, the growth in the balance was primarily driven by the increase in the financing balance. Although the short selling balance also increased in 2025, its cumulative growth for the year was less than 10 billion yuan, with the absolute value of the short selling balance remaining at a low level in recent years.
As market sentiment continued to heat up, major sectors in the A-share market saw increases. Key industry sectors rose to varying degrees, with over half posting annual increases exceeding 30 percent.
Boosted by sharp rises in precious metal prices, the nonferrous metals sector delivered standout performance throughout 2025. Defense and military, telecommunications, machinery and equipment, automotive, power equipment, and electronics sectors also ranked among the top annual gainers. Sectors like food and beverages, coal, and banking showed relatively weaker annual performance but still managed modest gains.
Against the backdrop of a broad market rally, individual stocks also rose, with many delivering standout performances. Data indicates that over 4,200 A-shares saw price increases in 2025, accounting for more than three-quarters of the total. Specifically, after excluding newly listed stocks, over 500 A-shares still doubled in value, with more than 100 stocks achieving annual gains exceeding 200 percent.
China's stock market demonstrates strong performance with multiple new records in 2025
