China Trade in Review: Yearly Editions

China's headline trade numbers come from the General Administration of Customs (GACC), which publishes monthly data in the second week of the following month and a full-year release in mid-January. Figures are reported in both yuan and US dollars; growth rates differ between the two because of the exchange rate, and the dollar series is the one used in most international comparison.

Customs data counts goods crossing the border, including processing trade and goods moving through bonded zones, and attributes exports to the country of final destination as declared. Partner-country statistics therefore rarely match China's own — Hong Kong re-exports and transshipment through Southeast Asia are the usual reasons. The National Bureau of Statistics adds the production side; the Ministry of Commerce reports foreign direct investment; the State Administration of Foreign Exchange reports the balance of payments, where services trade appears.

Each edition below states the reporting year, the vintage of every figure and the publisher. Prior editions stay as published; corrections by the statistical agencies are noted in the next edition rather than edited into the old one.