China's services trade rises 8.5% in first nine months of 2026, deficit narrows
Visitors view a parcel-sorting robot at the transport services section, which drew considerable attention at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing on September 12, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
China's services trade grew 8.5 percent year-on-year to 5.77 trillion yuan in the first nine months of 2026, narrowing the country's services trade deficit, official data showed on Wednesday. Transport services led growth across all categories, while knowledge-intensive services exports posted double-digit gains.
Services exports increased 14.8 percent year-on-year to 2.27 trillion yuan during the January-September period, while imports rose 4.8 percent to 3.50 trillion yuan, data released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) showed. The services trade deficit narrowed by 132.66 billion yuan from a year earlier to 1.23 trillion yuan.
Transport services led growth across all services trade categories, with combined imports and exports surging 33.9 percent year-on-year to 1.28 trillion yuan. The sector ranked third in trade value, behind travel services and other business services.
Transport services exports jumped 29.4 percent to 482.32 billion yuan, while imports climbed 36.8 percent to 799.4 billion yuan. Trade in knowledge-intensive services rose 7.4 percent year-on-year to 2.53 trillion yuan, accounting for 43.9 percent of China's total services trade.
Exports of knowledge-intensive services grew 11.7 percent to 1.22 trillion yuan, accounting for 53.7 percent of total services exports. Within the category, personal, cultural and recreational services, as well as insurance and pension services, recorded the fastest export growth, rising 69.1 percent and 50.3 percent, respectively.
Imports of knowledge-intensive services increased 3.7 percent to 1.31 trillion yuan, making up 37.5 percent of total services imports.