China’s imports rose 31.0% year-on-year to a record $313.66 billion in September 2026, accelerating from a 28.2% gain in the previous month and exceeding market expectations of 24.5%. It was the strongest annual increase since June, supported by seasonal restocking ahead of the major October Golden Week break, strong demand for AI-related hardware, and higher international oil and commodity prices. Iron ore purchases rose 1.2% from August, driven by pre-holiday replenishment. In the first nine months of 2026, imports grew 27.5% yoy to $2.43 trillion. However, analysts cautioned that the import surge does not necessarily signal stronger domestic consumption. Much of the increase reflects purchases of industrial raw materials, minerals, and electronic components used in manufacturing goods for export. This suggests that import growth is being driven largely by robust factory activity and global technology demand, rather than a broad-based recovery in Chinese household spending. source: General Administration of Customs

Imports YoY in China increased to 31 percent in September from 28.20 percent in August of 2026. Imports YoY in China averaged 13.60 percent from 1991 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 85.90 percent in January of 2010 and a record low of -43.10 percent in January of 2009. This page includes a chart with historical data for China Imports YoY. China Imports YoY - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on November of 2026.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-08 03:00 AM
Imports YoY
Aug 28.2% 27.5% 30%
2026-10-14 02:30 AM
Imports YoY
Sep 31% 28.2% 24.5%
2026-11-10 03:00 AM
Imports YoY
Oct 31%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade 133.53 119.09 USD Billion Sep 2026
China Trade Balance – Yuan Terms 905.97 809.30 CNY Billion Sep 2026
Crude Oil Imports 37.10 37.93 Million Tonnes Sep 2026
Exports 447.18 401.44 USD Billion Sep 2026
Exports YoY 36.30 25.00 percent Sep 2026
Exports – Yuan Terms 3034.39 2727.41 CNY Billion Sep 2026
Imports 313.65 282.36 USD Billion Sep 2026
Imports YoY 31.00 28.20 percent Sep 2026
Imports – Yuan Terms 2128.42 1918.11 CNY Billion Sep 2026
Terms of Trade 91.60 92.40 points Aug 2026


China Imports YoY
Machinery and transport equipment dominate China’s import mix, accounting for about 38% of total inbound shipments. Key components within this category include electrical machinery and appliances (21%), road vehicles (4%), telecommunications and audio-visual equipment (3%), and office machines and data-processing equipment (3%). China also imports significant volumes of mineral fuels, lubricants, and related materials (17%), driven largely by petroleum and petroleum products (13%) and natural and manufactured gas (3%). Crude, inedible materials excluding fuels make up 14% of imports, with metalliferous ores and metal scrap contributing 9%. Chemicals and related products represent 11% of total imports, led by organic chemicals (3%) and plastics in primary forms (3%). Additional import categories include miscellaneous manufactured articles (7%), manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (7%), and food and live animals (4%). The European Union is China’s largest source of imports, supplying 13% of the total, with Germany (5%) and France (2%) being major contributors. Other key import partners include South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan (each around 8%), followed by the United States and Australia (6% each). Brazil provides about 4%, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Russia, and Saudi Arabia each account for roughly 3%, and Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia about 2% apiece.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
31.00 28.20 85.90 -43.10 1991 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
China Imports Hit Record High
China’s imports rose 31.0% year-on-year to a record $313.66 billion in September 2026, accelerating from a 28.2% gain in the previous month and exceeding market expectations of 24.5%. It was the strongest annual increase since June, supported by seasonal restocking ahead of the major October Golden Week break, strong demand for AI-related hardware, and higher international oil and commodity prices. Iron ore purchases rose 1.2% from August, driven by pre-holiday replenishment. In the first nine months of 2026, imports grew 27.5% yoy to $2.43 trillion. However, analysts cautioned that the import surge does not necessarily signal stronger domestic consumption. Much of the increase reflects purchases of industrial raw materials, minerals, and electronic components used in manufacturing goods for export. This suggests that import growth is being driven largely by robust factory activity and global technology demand, rather than a broad-based recovery in Chinese household spending.
2026-10-14
China Imports Jump 28% on Strong Commodity and AI Demand
China’s imports rose 28.2% year-on-year to $282.36 billion in August 2026, slightly below the 30% forecast but accelerating from July’s 27.6% increase, as strong commodity demand and the global AI infrastructure buildout boosted trade across Asia. Crude oil imports rose 6.2% from July to 37.9 million tons, while natural gas imports dipped as war-driven price increases weighed on seaborne shipments. Coal imports remained elevated as the Shanxi mine disaster continued to constrain domestic production. Iron ore imports rose 3.1% year-on-year, while copper concentrate and refined metal purchases fell around 10% amid tight global markets. Soybean imports slipped 1.1% as tariffs and strained US-China ties limited demand for US cargoes. Imports from major Asian trading partners surged, rising 108.1% from South Korea, 41.5% from Taiwan, 20.0% from Japan and 35.0% from ASEAN economies. Purchases from Australia and the US rose 44.6% and 17.8%, respectively. Imports from the EU edged up 0.7%.
2026-09-08
China Import Growth Slows from Five-Year High
China's imports rose 27.5% year-on-year to USD 285.35 billion in July 2026, broadly in line with market forecasts of 27.9%. The pace eased from June’s 36% surge, the strongest since June 2021, signaling softer domestic demand amid weather and logistics disruptions. At a late-July policy meeting, authorities pledged faster fiscal rollout and timely monetary easing but stopped short of concrete steps to spur household consumption. The latest figures also coincided with renewed U.S.–China trade tensions, as both sides exchanged retaliatory measures ahead of September’s summit. By source, imports increased from South Korea (97.8%), Taiwan (36.6%), Australia (36.8%), ASEAN (36.0%), Japan (29.3%), and the U.S. (15.3%), but slipped from the EU (-1.4%). For January–July, imports grew 26.7% to USD 1.83 trillion. Iron ore imports rose 5.9% during the period, while purchases of natural gas fell 3% and those of crude oil dropped 13.2%.
2026-08-07


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