In December last year, China’s total foreign trade value amounted to $385.44 billion, indicating a year-on-year decline of 5.8 percent, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on January 14. In the given month, the total value of China’s exports amounted to $221.25 billion, decreasing by 4.4 percent year on year, while Chinese imports totaled $164.19 billion in value, declining by 7.6 percent year on year, resulting in a trade surplus of $57.06 billion.
In 2018, China’s total foreign trade value amounted to $4.623 trillion, up 12.6 percent year on year. In the given period, the total value of China’s exports amounted to $2.49 trillion, up 9.9 percent, while the value of its imports rose by 15.8 percent year on year to $2.14 trillion, resulting in a trade surplus of $351.76 billion in the given period.