China's total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms rose to 41.21 trillion yuan (about 5.82 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2025, up 3.6 percent year on year, official data showed Monday.
The growth rate remained flat compared with an increase of 3.6 percent registered in the first 10 months of the year, according to the General Administration of Customs.
In the first 11 months, China exported 24.46 trillion yuan worth of goods, up 6.2 percent year on year; while imported 16.75 trillion yuan worth of goods, up 0.2 percent year on year, according to the data.
Trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 21.33 trillion yuan, up 6 percent, accounting for 51.8 percent of China's total foreign trade, the Administration said.
In November alone, China's goods imports and exports edged up 4.1 percent year on year to 3.9 trillion yuan, up 4.1 percent year on year.
Exports reached 2.35 trillion yuan, up 5.7 percent year on year, while imports reached 1.55 trillion yuan, up 1.7 percent year on year.
"As of November, China's goods imports and exports had maintained year-on-year growth for 10 consecutive months. In November alone, the year-on-year growth rate of imports and exports rebounded four percentage points faster than that of the previous month. Both exports and imports grew in November, showing both year-on-year and month-on-month growth, which reflects the long-term resilience and vitality of China's foreign trade," said Lyu Daliang, head of the Department of Statistics and Analysis, the General Administration of Customs.
China's foreign trade maintains growth in first 11 months of 2025
Japanese scholars and officials, including former Prime Minster Yukio Hatoyama, on Sunday criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan region and expressed concerns over the deteriorated bilateral ties.
At a Diet meeting on Nov 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which has immediately sparked strong criticism inside Japan.
The scholars voiced their concerns at an academic exchange meeting held by the International Academic Society for Asian Community (ISAC) in Tokyo, where over 100 representatives from Japanese political, academic, and economic circles held discussions on the current international situation and China-Japan relations.
In his keynote speech, Hatoyama said that Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan region fundamentally deviated from international law and the spirit of the 1972 China-Japan Joint Communique.
"According to the China-Japan Joint Communique, the Potsdam Declaration, and the Cairo Declaration, Japan further reaffirmed its position that Taiwan is Chinese territory. Therefore, the Taiwan question is China's internal affair. Furthermore, the China-Japan Joint Communique also established the principle of non-interference in China's internal affairs. But against this backdrop, however, Takaichi made the related remarks," he said.
Participants of the academic meeting said that Takaichi's erroneous remarks damaged the relations between China and Japan and should be retracted.
"As an academic organization dedicated to the study of peace and security in East Asia, we are deeply concerned about the sharp deterioration in Japan-China relations caused by Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks in the Diet, which related Taiwan question to a 'survival-threatening situation' for Japan," said Eiichi Shindo, ISAC president and a professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba.
"After the war, Japan and China reached many political agreements, but now it is Japan that unilaterally violates these rules and agreements. This is highly problematic, and I feel very sorry about it. Japan-China relations are deteriorating on multiple levels, and obviously it is Japan that has caused such a situation. (Takaichi's) remarks definitely crossed the line, and I believe they should be retracted," said Akira Kimura, a professor emeritus at the Kagoshima University.
Following the event, Hatoyama told China Media Group (CMG) that he was deeply concerned that Takaichi's remarks had worsened China-Japan relations.
"Prime Minister Takaichi made remarks about Taiwan question, claiming it would constitute a 'survival-threatening situation' for Japan. In my view, this was less a rash statement and more a deliberate declaration, which is regrettable. I am deeply concerned that the situation will worsen if measures are not taken quickly. This has plunged Japan-China relations into a very serious situation. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, and Japan should not interfere," said Hatoyama.
Former Japanese PM, scholars criticize Takaichi’s erroneous remarks
