China's high-tech services exports outpace traditional goods in 2025
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · May 3
China's high-tech services exports outpace traditional goods in 2025
13 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 3
Telecoms, computer and information services exports rose 13% to 808 billion yuan, while footwear exports fell 9% to $46 billion and bags and suitcases dropped 13% to $30 billion.
The shift highlights China's move from shipping low-cost manufactured goods to selling higher-value services including ICT, engineering, data analytics and research and development.
Guangzhou-based iRootech, which supplies industrial computer vision and AI, said its remote maintenance platform helped German client Putzmeister cut after-sales travel costs by 25% across operations in more than 30 countries.
Is China's high-tech export surge a sign of strength or a global economic shock fueled by domestic weakness?
As nations adopt China's advanced tech, are they trading short-term gains for long-term strategic dependence?
As U.S. tech sanctions backfire, is China now on a faster path to winning the global race for AI dominance?
How China’s 28.6% High-Tech Export Boom Reshaped Global Trade in 2025–2026
Overview
In 2025 and early 2026, China experienced a remarkable surge in high-tech exports, growing 28.6% in Q1 2026 and driving a record trade surplus of USD 1.2 trillion in 2025. This growth was fueled by leading firms like Alibaba Cloud, ByteDance, and Huawei, supported by strong provincial government initiatives and a global shift toward AI and cloud computing. Facing a 20% drop in exports to the U.S., China strategically diversified its markets, boosting exports to Africa and ASEAN by over 13%. Despite robust GDP growth and innovation leadership, rising energy costs, geopolitical tensions, and evolving global regulations pose challenges, signaling a complex path ahead for sustaining this high-tech export momentum.