In 2025, China's foreign trade value reached 45.47 trillion RMB (6.48 trillion USD), up by 3.8 percent, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on January 14. Since 2017, China's foreign trade has recorded nine consecutive years of growth.

Exports rose by 6.1 percent year on year to 26.99 trillion RMB. Imports hit a record 18.48 trillion RMB, with year-on-year growth of 0.5 percent, maintaining China's status as the world's second largest import market for 17 years in succession.

Foreign firms ready to go on investing

Most multinational companies (MNCs) remain confident of China's long-term prospects, according to the 2025 KPMG MNC China Outlook Report. The survey shows that 94 percent of MNCs continue to invest in China.

In 2025, the import and export volume of foreign-funded enterprises amounted to 13.27 trillion RMB, increasing by 3.7 percent, maintaining growth for seven consecutive quarters.

In 2024, China completely lifted restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector, providing a vast space for enterprises to expand their production capacity and diversify their business operations.

Birgit Böhm-Wannenwetsch, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., said, China's efforts to promote the high-end, intelligent and green development of its manufacturing industry perfectly align with BMW's vision of establishing a digital and sustainable production.

She said the Chinese automotive industry is continuously innovating, becoming a crucial driving force in promoting the transformation of the global automotive industry toward intelligence, electrification and sustainable mobility.

China is one of the most dynamic markets in the world, attracting a large number of consumers who are tech-savvy, bold in experimentation, and open-minded, she said, adding that the company has always been optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese market and is confident that her company will achieve significant growth in China.

Ahn Tae Min, chairman of CJ (Shenyang) Biotech Co., Ltd., said, "The continuously improved business environment and infrastructure, as well as stable policy expectations, have provided a stable, transparent and predictable development environment for foreign enterprises, which has strengthened our confidence in deepening the development here."

Li Yanbing, general manager of Michelin Shenyang Tire Co., Ltd., said China has become the world's largest automotive consumer market. "The 30-year development journey of Michelin in Shenyang is not only the growth story of an enterprise, but also a microcosm of the synchronized resonance and mutual achievement between the enterprise and China's automotive industry," Li added.

China's bullish outlook in 2026

According to Forbes magazine, consumer spending in China this year is a hot topic among groups ranging from global shoe brands to think tank researchers, owing to hopes that government policies will make it a stronger source of growth in the world's No. 2 economy this year.

Shaun Rein, founder of China Market Research Group, has been tracking trends in consumer spending in China for more than two decades and anticipates gains. "Despite the economic headwinds in China, I'm getting very bullish on consumer consumption in 2026," Rein recently told Forbes China in an interview in Shanghai.

According to Rein, Chinese brands have already been strong in domestic market, but now they're starting to go abroad. Companies like BYD and Xiaomi are going to become not just China players, but export their products and dominate markets throughout the entire world.

In 2026, the world had better get ready for the rise of high quality Chinese domestic brands with great branding. They're going to be hitting the shores throughout the entire world. For 2026, China is the next China, Rein said.