Trade between China and other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) totaled 125.49 trillion yuan (about $18.05 trillion), which was up 39.4 percent from the previous five years, official data showed on February 4.

The figure for 2025 alone came in at 26.29 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly 60 percent of China's total foreign trade that year, according to the first plenary meeting of the 2026 APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) held in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Zhao Zenglian, deputy head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), highlighted the Asia-Pacific region's role as the world's growth engine, noting that its total economic volume now represents over 60 percent of the global economy.

As SCCP chair for 2026, the GAC has proposed three initiatives: deepening cooperation under the smart customs partnership, enhancing supply-chain resilience and accelerating digital transformation.