China’s total foreign trade expanded 5 percent year on year in 2024, reaching a record 43.85 trillion yuan (around $6.1 trillion), official data showed Monday.

Exports grew 7.1 percent year on year to 25.45 trillion yuan, breaking the 25-trillion-yuan mark for the first time and maintaining an upward trend for eight straight years. Meanwhile, imports edged up 2.3 percent from a year earlier to 18.39 trillion yuan, according to the data released by the General Administration of Customs.