China's foreign trade has seen stable growth amid external pressures in 2025, with innovative creations and high-technology products emerging as pillars of this steady advancement.
According to data released by China's General Administration of Customs on Wednesday, China's exports in 2025 rose more than six percent year on year to nearly 27 trillion yuan (about 3.85 trillion U.S. dollars).
Leveraging China's manufacturing strengths and rich cultural heritage, creative cultural products have become global bestsellers over the past year, offering a snapshot of the resilience of China's foreign trade.
The "Crying Horse" -- a plush toy with a "mistake" in which its mouth is stitched upside down -- drew global attention after a video of it went viral on social media.
At the Yiwu International Trade City, considered the world's largest small-commodity market and located in east China's Zhejiang Province, international orders for the quirky toy surged almost overnight.
Factories are now operating at full capacity, with orders booked through March.
"Foreign orders are flooding in, especially from Chile, South America, Russia, and South Africa. They are all ordering the 'Crying Horse,'" said Zhang Huoqing, a vendor from Yiwu's International Trade City.
China's export structure is also evolving, with greater emphasis on higher value-added products.
Last year, exports of high-tech products rose more than 13 percent to 5.25 trillion yuan (about 753.35 billion U.S. dollars), contributing over two percentage points to overall export growth. For the first time, China became a net exporter of industrial robots.
In the southern city of Shenzhen, China's high-tech manufacturing hub, high-value and intelligent products are taking up a growing share of exports. Backed by a national push to accelerate the shift toward high-tech exports, robotics companies are taking the lead.
"The robotic dog was released just last month, and we have already received several hundred overseas orders. This year, we plan to launch more than a dozen new products," said Guo Cong, the Chief Technology Officer of the Shenzhen-based Pudu Robotics.
"Overall, China's exports are becoming more innovative, greener, and more cooperative. 'Made-in-China good products' are widely welcomed around the world, helping stabilize global industrial and supply chains while injecting certainty and new opportunities to global trade," said Wang Jun, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs, on Wednesday's press conference.
China's 2025 foreign trade driven by innovation, high-tech products
