Maintaining the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations benefits both countries and the world, said an official from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Wednesday in Beijing.
Speaking at a press conference, Lyu Daliang, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs (GAC), briefed reporters on the data on goods imports and exports between China and the U.S. in 2025.
"According to statistics from the GAC in 2025, China's imports and exports with the U.S. totaled 4.01 trillion yuan, accounting for 8.8 percent of China's total import and export value. According to the U.S. statistics, in the first ten months of 2025, U.S. imports and exports from and to China totaled 373.64 billion dollars, making up 7.8 percent of the U.S. total import and export value," said Lyu.
The year 2025 was a rollercoaster for China-U.S. relations, beginning with a tariff escalation that threatened to disrupt the global economy and ending with a heads-of-state handshake that sent a stabilizing signal between the two countries.
"Last year, the two presidents made multiple phone calls and held a successful meeting in Busan, the Republic of Korea, reaching a series of important agreements. Following several rounds of consultations, the economic and trade teams from both sides achieved positive results, leading to a temporary easing of China-U.S. economic and trade relations. According to the trade statistics of both sides, China is the third-largest export destination for the U.S. and the third-largest source of imports. The U.S. is China's largest export destination and the third-largest source of imports," said Lyu.
"I want to say that the China-U.S. economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. Maintaining stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations is conducive to both countries and the world. The two sides should jointly implement the consensus reached by the two presidents. Through dialogue and consultation, they should continuously shorten the list of problems and lengthen the list of cooperation areas, ensuring that China-U.S. economic and trade relations serve as an anchor and propeller of China-U.S. relations," the official added.
Healthy China-U.S. economic, trade relations beneficial to both sides: customs official
Residents living in Canada's biggest city of Toronto have expressed optimism that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China can unlock new economic opportunities, particularly in key fields such as artificial intelligence and infrastructure.
Carney is set to arrive in China on Wednesday to begin a four-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, marking the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to China since 2017.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Carney during his stay to provide new strategic guidance for further improving and developing China-Canada relations.
Giving their assessment of the significance of the visit and the outcomes they hope to see achieved, local people in Toronto pointed to the importance of deepening cooperation and view the high-tech sector as one of the most pivotal areas where ties can be enhanced.
"I think, of course, China is probably the leader in AI and new technologies. So, I think Canada can really benefit from Chinese expertise on some of the chip manufacturing or just the use of AI in the medical field, in every other finance field and everything. So, I think this can be very important for Canada to learn from China," said Raman, the provincial liaison manager at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"I think it is a good idea to strengthen relations with other countries and other trade partners that have been probably more consistent. And especially with things going on in electronics right now and chip manufacturing, I do think that it makes sense at this point in time to be reaching out to China," said Jen, a local nurse.
Some see Carney's visit as an opportunity to broaden the economic agenda in various other key areas.
"I'm actually pretty looking forward to it because they could talk a lot about trade. That could be a good opportunity for Canada and China to explore some other export opportunities on energy, and also, maybe pipeline building, infrastructure building, and also, real estate investment and agriculture," said Xiong Lulu, an equity research analyst.
Looking ahead, many residents emphasize that much depends on whether Carney's visit can translate into concrete agreements.
"It would be nice. I hope there's some kind of good relationship between China and Canada. That would be like a great opportunity that we would miss if we didn't create that relationship with them. So, hopefully, in hindsight, [in] 2026 it does happen," said John, a software developer.
"I think if they can settle some trade deals, that will be great. So, I think it will be great for the Canadian economy," said Xiong.
President Xi and Carney last met on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in October, with both sides agreeing to resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields and jointly advance the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.
Toronto residents optimistic about Canada-China cooperation prospects
