China's foreign trade sees steady increase in first quarter, data shows

China has reported a steady foreign trade increase in the first quarter of 2025, with the western regions experiencing notable growth compared to last year, according to China's State Information Center (SIC).

The latest statistics from SIC show that the average daily container throughput at major ports across China increased by 10.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, with an 8.2 percent increase in March.

Additionally, the total working hours of forklift and reach stackers, which are primarily used to handle containers, reported significant year-on-year growth, with western regions like Chongqing, Guangxi, and Qinghai seeing the fastest growth. The data, demonstrating a vibrant logistics sector, indicates a flourishing foreign trade in the regions.

Furthermore, the SIC reported an 8.1 percent increase in departures in March by weight of roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) ships, cargo ships that are specifically used to transport vehicles, marking 13 consecutive months of steady growth, which represents the strong performance of the country's New Energy Vehicle (NEV) exports.

The average international cargo flights in the first quarter also saw a drastic 35.9 percent increase year-on-year, with a 32.2 percent increase in March.

"Since the beginning of this year, as macro policies continued to take effect, the positive factors in China's economic operation have steadily accumulated and strengthened. The high-frequency data in consumption, investment, and foreign trade in the first quarter have shown strong performance. New growth drivers and new advantages have been rapidly emerging, boosting positive and innovative development in multiple aspects. The Chinese economy continued to show its resilience, potential, and vitality, laying a solid foundation for effectively responding to external risks and challenges, and achieving the annual economic and social development goals," said Wei Ying, deputy head of the Department of Data Development under the State Information Center.

China's foreign trade sees steady increase in first quarter, data shows

A Chinese military spokesperson on Wednesday condemned a recent U.S. assessment report for its irresponsible remarks on China, saying that smearing China cannot help remove the U.S. label as the empire of hacking.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks while responding to a media query concerning the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment released by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which claims that China is the biggest military and cyber threat for the U.S., and that the Chinese military likely will use large language models for information operations to generate deceptive content.

The United States often accuses others of actions it itself has taken or is currently engaged in, Zhang said, adding that it is not only the main source of cyber attacks against China but also a well-known global cyber threat.

"From the case of WikiLeaks to the incident of Edward Snowden, from the 'Stellar Wind' surveillance program to 'Operation Telescreen' (the Bvp47 backdoor program), the U.S. has been doing whatever it wants to do in cyberspace, resorting to every extreme measure for surveillance, espionage and attacks, leaving behind a disgraceful and shameful track record," Zhang charged.

"Smearing China can not help remove the U.S. label as the 'empire of hacking'. We require the U.S. side to stop acting like a thief crying 'stop thief', cease cyberattacks against other countries around the world, including China, and act responsibly to ensure a clear and secure cyberspace for all of humanity," said the spokesman.

Smearing China cannot help remove U.S. label as empire of hacking: defense spokesperson