China's total foreign trade in goods totaled 16.23 trillion yuan (about 2.39 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of 2026, up 14.9 percent year on year and maintaining sound growth, said He Yongqian, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Commerce, on Thursday.
At a press conference in Beijing, He noted the import and export of mechanical and electrical products grew strongly by 19.5 percent year on year during the period.
"China is a key supplier of global AI infrastructure. It is both a major buyer and seller of integrated circuits worldwide. This is not only the result of the combination of global industrial cycles and market demand, but also a vivid embodiment of China's continuous optimization of its foreign trade structure and the steady improvement in its industrial innovation capabilities," she said.
"At present, amid the complex and fluid external environment, factors such as the slowdown in global economic growth and the escalation of geopolitical conflicts may still have some impacts on China's foreign trade. That said, the fundamentals sustaining sound foreign trade growth in China in the long run remain unchanged, and China's foreign trade still boasts a strong foundation," she added.
China's foreign trade in goods up 14.9 percent in Jan-April period
The Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission conducted its last comprehensive practice before launch on Friday, completing function checks of all systems and other preparation work.
The combination of the spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transported to the launch site last Saturday and is scheduled for launch in the coming days, with all facilities and equipment at the launch site in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Carried out by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various control stations under the coordination of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the drill simulated all stages of the launch mission, including pre-launch preparations, liftoff, climb, and the in-orbit phase.
"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection," He said.
The rehearsal validated the reliability of key systems, including the rocket, the spaceship, the launch site, the control and communication equipment, and the coordination between different systems. It also verified the functionality and technical status of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft-rocket combination.
"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved," said Li Zhe, an employee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
With all facilities in good condition, the Jiuquan launch site will later conduct rocket propellant filling and launch operations.
Search and recovery drills are also underway at the landing site, in preparation for the return of the Shenzhou-21 crew.
Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship ready for launch
