China's trade in services maintained positive growth during the first four months of 2026, with exports expanding robustly and the trade deficit narrowing significantly, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.
From January to April, China's total trade in services reached 2,485.32 billion yuan (345.2 billion U.S. dollars), up 4.9 percent year on year.
Exports stood at 985 billion yuan (136.8 billion U.S. dollars), surging 15 percent, while imports totaled 1,500.32 billion yuan (208.4 billion U.S. dollars), down 0.8 percent. The services trade deficit shrank to 515.32 billion yuan (71.6 billion U.S. dollars), narrowing by 139.74 billion yuan (19.4 billion U.S. dollars) compared with the same period last year.
Knowledge-intensive services continued to drive export growth.
Trade in this category reached 1,104.18 billion yuan (153.4 billion U.S. dollars), up 5.1 percent and accounting for 44.4 percent of overall services trade.
Exports of knowledge-intensive services grew 11.7 percent to 544.09 billion yuan (75.6 billion U.S. dollars), with personal, cultural and entertainment services, as well as intellectual property royalties, leading the way at 39.5 percent and 20.8 percent growth respectively.
Imports of knowledge-intensive services edged down 0.7 percent to 560.09 billion yuan (77.8 billion U.S. dollars).
Two sectors stood out for their rapid expansion.
Travel service exports jumped 30.4 percent to 147.15 billion yuan (20.4 billion U.S. dollars), the fastest growth rate among the top five service export categories.
Meanwhile, transport service imports climbed 24.9 percent to 316.45 billion yuan (44.0 billion U.S. dollars), also the fastest-growing among the top five import categories.
China's trade in services grows 4.9 pct in first four months
China's trade in services grows 4.9 pct in first four months
