China's new momentum in foreign trade accelerates release: new energy vehicles lead the "new three types" export growth against the trend

According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, in the first quarter of 2025, China's total import and export value of goods reached a new historical high. Among them, the export performance of the 'new three types' represented by new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products was particularly impressive, becoming a key engine driving foreign trade growth. **Against the backdrop of a deep adjustment in the global trade pattern, China's foreign trade has demonstrated strong resilience through industrial upgrading and market diversification strategies.

Leading the way with the 'New Three', optimizing and upgrading the export structure

In the first quarter, the export volume of new energy vehicles surged by 42.1% year-on-year, the export value of lithium batteries increased by 31.8%, and the export of photovoltaic modules maintained steady growth. Behind this report card is a microcosm of China's manufacturing industry's transition towards 'new quality productivity'. Taking a new energy vehicle company in Shenzhen as an example, its intelligent electric vehicle models, with leading range and intelligent networking technology, not only sell well in Southeast Asia, but also successfully enter the high-end European market. In the first quarter, overseas orders doubled year-on-year. The head of the company said, 'Technological innovation is our core competitiveness, which gives us pricing power and brand influence in the international market

Emerging markets rise, RCEP dividends continue to be released

Beyond the traditional European and American markets, China's foreign trade 'circle of friends' continues to expand. In the first quarter, China's imports and exports to ASEAN increased by 15.2% year-on-year, accounting for 18.6% of the total foreign trade value, and ASEAN remained the largest trading partner. Over the same period, the import and export growth rate of countries jointly building the 'the Belt and Road' was 6.3 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate. The deepening of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has significantly reduced the cost of intra regional trade. A foreign trade manager of a photovoltaic company in Zhejiang deeply felt: 'The cumulative rules of origin allow us to integrate the advantages of the supply chain in the region, and improve the export clearance efficiency of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand by more than 30%

Building new competitive advantages through new formats and models

New business models such as cross-border e-commerce, overseas warehouses, and market procurement are flourishing, providing a high-speed channel for small and medium-sized enterprises to 'go global'. The import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce in the first quarter increased by 21% year-on-year, accounting for over 10% of foreign trade. A small household appliance enterprise in Guangzhou has adopted the 'cross-border live streaming+local warehouse' model to directly sell creative small household appliances to overseas consumers, shortening the logistics time to 3 days and significantly improving the repurchase rate. The comprehensive foreign trade service platform is also empowering enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency, providing one-stop services from customs clearance, logistics to tax refunds and financing.

Expert opinion: Consolidate resilience and explore new opportunities

Experts from the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce pointed out that 'the explosive growth of the 'new three types' highlights China's key position in the global green and low-carbon industry chain. In the future, it is necessary to further optimize cross-border trade facilitation measures, support enterprises to deeply cultivate emerging markets, and prevent external risks to promote the' quality improvement and quantity stability 'of foreign trade.' China's foreign trade 'geese formation' is led by technological innovation, with diversified markets as its two wings. In the challenging global economic and trade environment, it is striving to open up new growth channels and continue to inject stabilizing forces into the world economy.