The resilience and vitality of the world's second-largest economy are once again drawing wide attention as fresh data show China's foreign trade maintained double-digit growth in the first four months of 2026.

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, China's total goods trade reached 16.23 trillion yuan ($2.39 trillion) in the first four months of the year, up 14.9 percent year-on-year. Exports climbed 11.3 percent to 9.33 trillion yuan, while imports surged 20 percent to 6.9 trillion yuan year-on-year. In April alone, total trade expanded 14.2 percent year-on-year, underscoring the continued momentum of China's foreign trade.

Behind the impressive figures lies a more diversified and resilient trade structure. Trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union grew by 15.7 percent and 13.2 percent respectively year-on-year, while trade with Belt and Road partner countries increased 13.5 percent. Trade with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership members rose 20 percent in the first four months year-on-year, showing that the trade agreement continues to inject new impetus into regional integration.

Such trends highlight that China's trade is becoming less dependent on any single market and increasingly embedded in broader regional and global networks. In an era marked by supply chain disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty, diversified partnerships are enhancing China's ability to withstand external risks while contributing stability to global industry and supply chains.

Equally noteworthy is the growing role of the services trade in China's trade structure. Data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed that China's total services trade reached 1.82 trillion yuan in the first quarter, with exports of services rising 11.2 percent year-on-year.

The effectiveness of China's high-level opening-up policies is highlighted by the robust growth of travel-related services. As China continues to expand its visa-free "circle of friends" and optimize departure tax refund policies, more foreign visitors are being drawn to the country for tourism, business and cultural exchanges. Travel service exports surged 32.3 percent in the first quarter year-on-year, the fastest among all service sectors.

What foreign visitors increasingly see is not merely a vast market, but an open, dynamic and confident China. From efficient digital payment systems and convenient transportation to thriving cultural consumption and modern urban landscapes, China's development is becoming ever more defined by innovation, green transformation and inclusiveness.

Meanwhile, the rise of new growth drivers in high-end manufacturing, artificial intelligence and new energy sectors is reshaping the global perception of China's economy. Exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and wind turbine units jumped by 68.1 percent, 43.2 percent and 40.7 percent respectively year-on-year in the first four months. China's robot industry also accelerated its overseas expansion, with exports reaching 11.32 billion yuan in the first quarter and products shipped to 148 countries and regions.

Reflecting both the booming global investment in AI and China's increasingly important role in global technology supply chains, exports of integrated circuits surged 78.3 percent year-on-year. As industry experts noted, China has become a key supplier of AI-related infrastructure, mature-process chips and supporting industrial components.

Some in the West have recently hyped up the notion of a so-called "China Shock 2.0", alleging that China's rapid advances in new energy and artificial intelligence rely excessively on overseas markets and create "overcapacity" that threatens developed economies. Yet such narratives ignore the reality of China's innovation-driven development and the benefits it brings to the world economy.

As Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian pointed out, China has genuine innovation capabilities that create tangible opportunities for global cooperation. The country has evolved from being "the world's factory" to being "a global market and innovation hub". China's exports, he stressed, have served to stabilize global supply chains, eased inflationary pressures, lowering living costs for consumers worldwide, and contributed to closing the world's green development supply gaps and accelerating the world's energy transition and low-carbon transformation.

More importantly, China's high-tech products are breaking technological monopolies and barriers, enabling more countries and people to access and afford emerging technologies.

Openness brings progress, and cooperation delivers mutual benefit, as Lin said. China's development is not a threat to any country, but an increment for common global development.

By steadfastly advancing high-level opening-up, promoting balanced trade development and fostering innovation-driven growth, China is providing the world economy with much-needed certainty and new momentum.