BEIJING, September 4, 2026 — China’s services trade continued to expand strongly during the first seven months of 2026, with travel and transport services emerging as major contributors to the country’s export growth.

Official data showed that China’s total trade in services reached nearly 4.45 trillion yuan, equivalent to about $655.8 billion, between January and July. The figure represented an 8.3 percent increase compared with the same period a year earlier.

Services Exports Grow at a Faster Pace

China’s services exports recorded particularly strong growth during the seven-month period.

Exports increased 17.1 percent year on year, exceeding 1.77 trillion yuan. Meanwhile, services imports reached approximately 2.67 trillion yuan, rising 3.2 percent from the previous year.

The stronger growth in exports helped reduce China’s services trade deficit by more than 176 billion yuan compared with the same period in 2025.

Travel Becomes a Major Growth Engine

Travel services were among the strongest performers in China’s services exports.

Exports of travel-related services jumped 27.7 percent year on year. The category contributed 22.1 percent of the overall increase in services exports.

The result highlights the growing importance of international travel within China’s services economy and its increasing contribution to export expansion.

Transport Services Also Post Strong Gains

Transport services delivered another major boost to services exports.

Exports in this category increased 27.1 percent compared with the previous year. Transport services accounted for 29.9 percent of overall services export growth during the period.

The strong performance of both travel and transport indicates that internationally connected service activities are playing an increasingly important role in China’s trade expansion.

Knowledge-Intensive Services Remain Important

China’s services economy is also becoming increasingly dependent on knowledge-intensive activities.

Trade in knowledge-intensive services rose 6.6 percent during the first seven months, reaching around 1.96 trillion yuan.

This segment includes areas such as telecommunications, information technology, financial services, intellectual property and other business services.

Knowledge-intensive services accounted for 44.1 percent of China’s total services trade during the period.

Government Pushes Services Sector Development

China has increased policy attention on expanding and upgrading its services sector.

The country’s 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030 and the annual government work report both include measures aimed at supporting services development.

In April, the State Council issued guidelines focused on expanding the services sector while improving its quality.

The government has set a longer-term objective of achieving significant progress in high-quality services development by 2030.

Ambitious 2030 Target

China aims to increase the overall scale of its services sector to more than 100 trillion yuan by 2030.

The government also plans to develop stronger and more internationally competitive Chinese services brands.

Such objectives reflect the growing importance of services in China’s economic structure and international trade.

Changing Structure of China’s Trade

The latest figures show that China’s services trade is becoming more diversified.

Traditional areas such as transportation and travel are expanding rapidly, while technology-driven and knowledge-intensive services continue to account for a substantial share of overall trade.

This combination of strong growth in travel and transport and continued expansion in technology-related services is helping reshape China’s international services economy.

Outlook for China’s Services Economy

The latest trade figures indicate that services are becoming an increasingly important component of China’s external economic activity.

With continued policy support, rising international travel and transport demand, and growing technology-based services, China is seeking to strengthen its position in the global services market.

The first seven months of 2026 therefore mark another period of expansion for China’s services trade, with both traditional and knowledge-driven sectors contributing to the country’s broader economic development.