In addition, China"s efforts to diversify its trade have strengthened market development in emerging countries and regions, Zhou said, reflecting on the robust growth of BRI partner countries.

　　More importantly, against the backdrop of rising unilateralism and protectionism, China"s foreign trade growth serves as a vital stabilizer for the global economy and a key driver for enhancing supply chain resilience amid ongoing global supply chain restructuring, injecting a more positive outlook for the year ahead, the expert said.

　　While the figures with many other countries and regions saw positive growth, China"s trade with the US saw a 16.9 percent decrease year-on-year, with both imports and exports seeing a double-digit decline, according to the GAC"s data.

　　"The decline in China-US trade is mainly due to certain trade protection measures implemented by the US government," Zhou said, noting that "these measures not only directly increase costs but also undermine business confidence ... When companies lose confidence in growth in certain markets, their supply chains tend to shift to other markets that are more predictable and stable."

　　Having said that, Zhou said that if the US can abandon its unilateral tariff measures and meets China halfway, China-US trade still holds substantial potential.

　　Wide attention

　　China"s strong trade performance has garnered wide attention from major global media, with many highlighting the robust and rather "unexpected" growth despite the challenging environment.

　　"China"s export growth accelerated far faster than expected in the first two months of the year..." Bloomberg also reported, noting that China"s exports and imports were surprisingly strong at the start of 2026.

　　A similar tone was noted by the BBC, which highlighted that China"s exports surged in the first two months despite lingering trade tensions with the US.