Overview In 2020, China was the number 2 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 1 in total exports, the number 2 in total imports, the number 77 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 28 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of China are Broadcasting Equipment ($223B), Computers ($156B), Integrated Circuits ($120B), Office Machine Parts ($86.8B), and Other Cloth Articles ($60.7B), exporting mostly to United States ($438B), Hong Kong ($262B), Japan ($151B), Germany ($112B), and South Korea ($110B).

In 2020, China was the world's biggest exporter of Broadcasting Equipment ($223B), Computers ($156B), Office Machine Parts ($86.8B), Other Cloth Articles ($60.7B), and Telephones ($51B)

Imports The top imports of China are Crude Petroleum ($150B), Integrated Circuits ($144B), Iron Ore ($99B), Cars ($42B), and Soybeans ($37.4B), importing mostly from Japan ($133B), South Korea ($131B), United States ($122B), Germany ($106B), and Chinese Taipei ($104B).

In 2020, China was the world's biggest importer of Crude Petroleum ($150B), Iron Ore ($99B), Soybeans ($37.4B), Petroleum Gas ($36.6B), and Copper Ore ($33.9B)

Location China borders North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macau by land and Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Philippines by sea.

December, 2022

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Broadcasting Equipment, $223B

Top Destination (2020): United States, $133B

In 2020, China exported a total of $2.65T, making it the number 1 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of China have changed by $297B from $2.35T in 2015 to $2.65T in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Broadcasting Equipment ($223B), Computers ($156B), Integrated Circuits ($120B), Office Machine Parts ($86.8B), and Other Cloth Articles ($60.7B). The most common destination for the exports of China are United States ($438B), Hong Kong ($262B), Japan ($151B), Germany ($112B), and South Korea ($110B).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

China Exports Services (2020): $208B

China Imports Services (2020): $378B

In 2020, China exported $208B worth of services. The top services exported by China in 2020 were Other business services ($69.8B), Transportation ($56.7B), Computer and information services ($39B), Construction services ($12.6B), and Travel ($9.95B).

The top services imported by China in 2020 were Travel ($131B), Transportation ($94.7B), Other business services ($50.3B), Royalties and license fees ($37.9B), and Computer and information services ($32.6B).

Economic Complexity

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Comparison Map

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This section shows exports, imports and economic complexity data at the subnational level for China. Click any of the Subnational Level in the geomap to visit the specific subnational profile.

The top territories of China according to its Economic Complexity Index are Shanghai Province (0.38), Shaanxi Province (0.35), and Chongqing (0.33).

In 2020, the principal exporters of China were Guangdong Province ($510B), Jiangsu Province ($342B), and Zhejiang Province ($325B).

The same year,  the principal importers  of China were Guangdong Province ($388B), Shanghai Province ($291B), and Beijing ($265B).

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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China has a high level of specialization in Artificial Vegetation (5.7), Party Decorations (5.29), Umbrellas (5.05), Vacuum Flask (4.98), and Other Cloth Articles (4.94). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between China observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of China according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Artificial Textile Machinery (2.02), Disc Chemicals for Electronics (2.01), Other Esters (1.96), Drafting Tools (1.84), and Electric Soldering Equipment (1.78). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for China according to the relatedness index, are Metal-Clad Products (0.54), Jute Woven Fabric (0.53), Patent Leather (0.52), Rubber Apparel (0.51), and Human Hair (0.5). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that China is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

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This network shows the products most related to the production structure of China. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that China exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

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During the last 20 years China's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨59th to the 28th⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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