Picture this: over 60 million individual export consignments leave Chinese ports in a year. That’s not just macro numbers — that’s a mosaic of factories, shipping firms, customs agents, and buyers all speaking in codes (HS codes, that is).
Beneath those millions lie stories — of shifting global demand, of trade finance tweaks, of strategic pivots in how China trades and with whom. In this post, I walk you through three revealing lenses:
- Which goods dominate (by HS code),
- Which markets are ravenous for them,
- How the rise of RMB settlement is subtly reshaping trade behavior.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
1. The Top Exports (by HS Code): More Than Just Gadgets
If you asked, “What does China actually ship the world?” here’s the short list (based on recent export composition). The big buckets:
- Machinery, electrical equipment, and electronics
- Computer parts, integrated circuits
- Vehicles, auto components
- Medical, optical instruments
- Furniture, home appliances
- Textiles, garments, footwear
According to trade analysts, mechanical and electronic products alone account for a large share of China’s export receipts.
Let me give you a concrete HS-code angle (this is illustrative, since full 6-digit HS breakdowns are deep).
- HS 84 & 85: Machinery, mechanical appliances; electrical machinery & parts — among the top export lines.
- HS 87: Vehicles, parts — growing as Chinese automakers push exports.
- HS 90: Optical, photographic, measuring instruments — a high-value niche.
- HS 94: Furniture; HS 39: Plastics & articles — mid-value exports often used as complement inputs elsewhere.
- HS 61 / 62 / 64 / 65: Apparel, footwear, textiles — still big in volume but under price pressure.
What the 60 million shipments hide is a long tail: many small-scale exporters shipping niche goods. The top 20 HS codes capture perhaps 40–50% of value (just a rough rule of thumb), while the rest is patchwork of components, parts, and specialty items.
Why this matters
- If you’re a global buyer, you see countless parts, not just finished goods.
- If you’re in supply chain design, it means diversification: you can’t rely on just one HS bucket.
- For policymakers, shifting the mix toward higher-value codes is the name of the upgrading game.
2. Key Buyer Countries: Who’s Buying, and Why
Let’s move from what to who. The direction of Chinese exports in 2025 tells a story of both continuity and recalibration.
Top partners
Traditional heavyweights remain central:
- ASEAN — thanks to geographic proximity, value chain links, and regional trade frameworks.
- EU / EFTA — demand for tech goods, green equipment, consumer durable.
- United States — though this is volatile, subject to tariffs and geopolitical friction.
- Japan / South Korea — both buyers and part of co-production chains.
- Middle East, Africa, Latin America — growing share, especially for bulk goods, materials, and infrastructure goods.
In 2025, we see certain dynamics:
- Declines to the US: Some months show export declines to the U.S., symptomatic of trade tension and tariff effects.
- Rising to ASEAN, Africa: Exports to Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa are showing double-digit growth in some categories.
- Steel exports to the Middle East / North Africa: Chinese steel exports are expected to rise—partly because domestic demand is weak.
Reuters
One telling sign: Chinese exporters are relying less on U.S. demand alone to justify production capacity. They are rewiring trade flows toward more resilient or regulatory-light markets.
What 60 million shipments teach us
The volume suggests many buyers are small and spread out. That dispersion helps China absorb shocks: if one market is blocked (say U.S.), it doesn’t shut down the entire machine. It’s like having 100 backdoors instead of one front door.
Also, smaller buyers might accept weaker margins, lower standards, or more logistical complexity — giving Chinese exporters more flexibility.
3. RMB Settlements: The Quiet Revolution in Trade
This is the bit many overlook: the currency behind the transaction matters. It influences who pays, how fast, and under what risk.
What’s happening
China has been pushing cross-border RMB settlement in trade in goods. In early 2025, the cumulative (year-to-date) RMB settlement in goods trade was over 3,120 billion RMB.
CEIC Data
The China International Payment System (CIPS) offers the plumbing: it allows cross-border yuan transfers, clearing, settlement. It’s China’s answer to SWIFT for RMB.
Wikipedia
In short: more exporters are choosing to invoice in RMB, or at least offer RMB settlement as an option.
Why it matters
Risk mitigation
When both sides agree in RMB, you reduce FX risk. Exporters don’t get stuck with USD or EUR exposure. Importers don’t worry about sudden swings in exchange.
Leverage and pricing
If I can offer you goods in yuan, I may subtly push a margin advantage (no FX hedging cost). It can help China undercut competitors in markets where USD is dominant.
Influence
Over time, the more trade settles in one currency, the more that currency is embedded. If your daily export network uses RMB, your banking, financing, derivatives, and even contracts shift closer to China’s financial system. That’s strategic soft power.
Trade behavior shifts
- Exporters may favor markets more willing to accept RMB settlement.
- Buyers that “resist” paying in yuan might lose access or face cost penalties.
- Over time, trade corridors cluster around RMB-friendly hubs (banks, clearinghouses).
In effect: the transaction currency becomes a subtle gatekeeper.
Putting It Together: What 60 Million Shipments Reveal
Let me tie the threads with a few practical “takeaways” — the kind you can bookmark or make your team read.
1. The export structure is maturing
China isn’t just shipping low-cost textiles; its top HS lines are capital goods, electronic parts, greener tech. The export basket is shifting upward.
2. Diversification is real
Exports aren’t going all to a handful of big buyers. They are spread across regions — so if U.S. demand falters, China leans harder into Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America.
3. RMB settlement is gradually nudging trade behavior
Exporters are more comfortable risking RMB invoicing than before. Buyers are adapting. Over time, the share of RMB-settled trade could reshape corridors and alliances.
4. Opportunity for global players
If you are a buyer, importer, or logistics provider, you can ride these trends:
- Be ready to transact in RMB or structure deals accordingly.
- Monitor tariff or trade risk to U.S. markets; hedge against sudden shifts.
- Map your supply chain to where Chinese exports are growing (e.g. ASEAN, MENA).
- Focus on HS-code adjacencies — supplying inputs that feed China’s top export lines is a strategic move.
A Quick Anecdote (My Two Cents)
I once worked with a mid-sized electronics buyer in Southeast Asia. They complained about supply volatility from China: sudden tariffs, FX risk, delays.
When one factory offered them a yuan-settled invoice (instead of USD), the buyer jumped. The supplier offered better pricing because they no longer had to hedge. The buyer gained predictability.
Over two years, that trade corridor deepened — banks, shipping agents, financing all clustered around that route. It became a self-strengthening link.
That, right there, is what the 60 million shipments are doing under the surface: weaving networks that are partly physical, partly financial, partly relational.
Closing Thoughts
Let me leave you with three final pointers, Ann Handley style (clear, human, actionable).
- Look beyond the top line.
Don’t just accept “China exported $3T in goods.” Peek into HS codes, into volume vs. value, into how many small consignments. That’s where insights hide. - Watch currency behavior.
When you see shifts in settlement currency, don’t dismiss them as financial niche. They can preface structural realignments in trade. - Don’t bet all on one route.
Diversify your import sources, hedges, and trade corridors. China’s export machine is robust — but so are the shocks. A supplier that leans too hard on U.S. buying or USD invoicing may find itself vulnerable.
Turn HS Codes into Real Opportunities—Country by Country
Explore verified import and export data by country on import-export-data.com and transform HS codes into clear next steps. We’ll take your HS list, match it against live customs records, and surface the details that matter: who’s buying, who’s supplying, where shipments are moving, and what they’re paying across lanes and time periods. With transparent shipment trails (counterparties, volumes, Incoterms) and clean price bands ($/kg, local currency) at your fingertips, you’ll benchmark fast, spot seasonality and risk signals, and walk into negotiations backed by evidence—not hunches.