Published: 11:32, August 5, 2025
China's service trade grows 8% in first half of 2025
By Xinhua
Tourists from South Korea pose for a photo in front of the entrance to the Peace Hotel in East China's Shanghai, Nov 30, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's service trade maintained steady growth in the first half of this year, with total imports and exports reaching 3.89 trillion yuan (about $544.9 billion), up 8 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

Specifically, service exports rose 15 percent to 1.69 trillion yuan, while imports increased 3.2 percent to 2.2 trillion yuan, according to the ministry's data. The service trade deficit narrowed by 152.2 billion yuan compared to the same period last year.

Knowledge-intensive services saw continued growth in trade, with imports and exports totaling 1.5 trillion yuan, up 6 percent year-on-year.

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Travel service was the largest service trade category during the first half, with total trade volume reaching 1.08 trillion yuan, up 12.3 percent from a year earlier.

Notably, the exports of travel services surged 68.7 percent during the period, according to the data.