China's merchandise trade achieved growth in both volume and quality from January to May, with emerging markets contributing more to the expansion, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday, reaffirming China's commitment to advancing high-level opening-up.

MOFCOM Spokesperson He Yadong made the remarks during a regular press briefing on Thursday, in response to a question about the ministry's assessment of China's foreign trade performance in the first five months and its outlook for the coming months.

Customs data released on Monday showed China's total goods imports and exports reached 17.94 trillion yuan ($2.5 trillion) during the period, up 2.5 percent year-on-year, with the growth rate accelerating by 0.1 percentage points compared with the first four months. Notably, China's exports expanded by 7.2 percent, according to the data.

Amid a complex global environment, China's foreign trade has demonstrated steady progress this year, He said. "Businesses have shown resilience and adaptability, while supportive government policies have shown positive effects, leading to both quantitative and qualitative improvements in trade. This reflects the unique resilience and vitality of China's foreign trade sector," the spokesperson said.

Particularly, He highlighted that China's trade partnerships have become more diversified, with emerging markets contributing significantly more to growth in the first five months.

Trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose by 4.2 percent, while exports to ASEAN climbed 9.1 percent and to Africa jumped 12.4 percent. "This underscores the continued expansion of a more diversified market landscape," He said, calling it a more diversified "circle of friends" in trade.

Amid worldwide trade volatility, China's commitment to free and open trade, coupled with the quality and cost competitiveness of its goods, has deepened its presence in emerging markets, said Pan Helin, a member of the Expert Committee for the Information and Communication Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"Meanwhile, many Chinese companies are adopting more globalized strategies, targeting emerging markets as new destinations for 'Made in China' products," Pan told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Going forward, despite external uncertainties, China will remain steadfast in pursuing high-standard opening-up," He said at the press briefing on Thursday. "We will tackle risks and challenges with the certainty of high-quality development and look forward to working with more trade partners to foster win-win cooperation."

He also highlighted the rapid growth of new export drivers, noting that China's foreign trade is increasingly characterized by more innovative and high-value products, with growing competitiveness in high-tech and high-value-added products.

From January to May, exports of electromechanical products, which make up 60 percent of total exports, grew by 9.3 percent. Within this category, integrated circuit exports soared by 18.9 percent, general machinery exports increased by 9.5 percent, electric-vehicle exports surged by 19 percent, and ship exports rose by 18.9 percent, according to the ministry.

New foreign trade models, such as bonded maintenance, are sparking fresh growth momentum. He revealed that MOFCOM has worked with relevant departments to release the first catalogue of bonded maintenance products for free trade zones, allowing eligible regions to conduct bonded maintenance for high-value-added products like aircraft and ships. As of May, more than 280 bonded maintenance projects had been implemented nationwide.

He also pointed to the dynamism of trade entities. Private enterprises saw a 7-percent increase in imports and exports during the period, making up 57.1 percent of the total. Foreign-invested firms posted four consecutive months of growth, with the number of active foreign trade enterprises rising to 73,000.

China's manufacturing and services sectors have been steadily moving up the value chain in recent years, and the composition of China's foreign trade continues to be upgraded, with services and technology exports accounting for an increasing share, Pan said. This trend will give China's foreign trade another layer of resilience against external pressures.

(Source: Global Times)