Global tensions, weak high-end exports, and record trade surpluses are spurring a strategic shift to boost imports, develop services trade and deepen market integration
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenSylvia MaPublished: 8:00pm, 1 Apr 2026China’s top Communist Party journal has reaffirmed the country’s push to rebalance trade, saying a worsening global environment marked by rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions is adding urgency to its ongoing shift from an “unsustainable” export-driven growth model.
“The underlying conditions, and both domestic and external environment shaping China’s trade balance, are undergoing profound changes, while deep-seated weaknesses in the foreign trade sector remain pronounced,” said a commentary in the latest issue of the Qiushi Journal.
It said the domestic contribution to the value of China’s exports remained relatively low, with weak competitiveness in high-end manufacturing and critical technologies, and called for urgent improvements in regional trade coordination and services trade.
The article described Beijing’s ongoing efforts to push for balanced trade as a “strategic adjustment proactively undertaken” in response to changing economic conditions.
“In particular, the inherent traits of China’s massive economy dictate that the export-driven model relied upon during its phase of outward-oriented accumulation is unsustainable, making the push for balanced trade development inevitable,” the commentary said.
