A Glance at China’s Foreign Trade

by Zhou Xin

The China International Import Expo， which is scheduled to kick off in Shanghai on November 5， has attracted massive global attention. Since Chinas reform and opening up that started in the late 1970s， the country has quickly jumped into the world division of labor， and its trade relations with other countries have become increasingly close ever since. During the process of “made in China” products becoming popular around the world， Chinas population of nearly 1.4 billion has emerged as a key spending force， purchasing an increasingly huge volume of international goods and services.

The following data showcases the changes in Chinas imports and exports across the four decades since the reform and opening up as well as Chinas recent jump in imports.