Report highlights China's growing role as global import market

SHANGHAI, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is now both a global production hub and a key source of global demand, with a growing capacity to absorb goods from around the world, according to a report released on Thursday in Shanghai in east China.

Photo: Xinhua

The Export-to-China Capacity Development Report, designed to help other countries boost exports to China, debuted at the ninth Hongqiao International Economic Forum, held as part of the just-opened ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE).

As household incomes rise and consumption patterns shift toward higher-quality goods and services, China has considerable room to expand imports of premium products, advanced technologies and services, the report says.

China's import mix has evolved from one overwhelmingly dominated by manufactured goods to a more diversified structure encompassing industrial products, energy and raw materials and agricultural commodities, it notes.

The report says that China's expanding demand for both high-end manufactured goods and primary commodities offers an inclusive market for economies at different stages of development.

The report was jointly compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of World Economics and Politics and the Division on International Trade and Commodities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

It additionally delves into the export performance of 10 of China's trading partners, including Colombia, Kenya, Spain, Thailand and Britain, assessing their potential in the Chinese market and offering recommendations on how to boost exports to China.

The World Openness Report 2026 was also released at this forum, warning that global openness is under growing strain amid rising trade protectionism, spreading geopolitical conflicts and profound restructuring of global industrial chains.

In 2025, the Global Openness Policy Index stood at 0.7448, down 1.09 percent year on year, while the Openness Performance Index fell 0.9 percent to 0.7458, reversing the recovery seen in both 2023 and 2024, according to the World Openness Report 2026.