In 2009, China replaced Germany as the world’s largest exporting nation. Since 2014, China is not only the world’s largest exporter, but also the largest trading nation in terms of the sum of its exports and imports.

China’s major exports are mechanical and electrical products, high tech products, clothing, textiles, footwear, furniture, plastic products and ceramic, motors and generators and integrated circuits. China’s main export partners are the United States, Hong Kong, the European Union (especially Germany, the UK and the Netherlands), Japan, South Korea, and the ASEAN countries of southeast Asia.

The strong growth in China’s exports has been a major factor supporting China's rapid economic expansion, but as its domestic economy expands, China has become gradually less dependent on the growth of its export sector.

In 2017, China's exports of goods and services were valued at 19.76 percent of its GDP, compared with their 31.8 percent share of its GDP in 2008, according to the World Integrated Trade Solution, which aggregates data from the World Bank, UNCTAD, and other organizations.