&#34;The global living room that never closes.&#34;
Miao Xiaoli, who has been starting businesses in Yiwu for more than twenty years, uses these nine words to describe the changes here. The business of this &#34;living room&#34; is one of the &#34;three engines&#34; of the Chinese economy—foreign trade.
However, in the spring of 2026, this speeding carriage encountered the impact of distant war.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/Oj4_Uu8d6JebFuc-Foxg4JdNIq5NJiaMUowSzKMdthBJQAA/641?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://inews.gtimg.com/om_bt/Oj4_Uu8d6JebFuc-Foxg4JdNIq5NJiaMUowSzKMdthBJQAA/641"/>
Data picture. Photo by Yang Bo, China News Service
At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on April 14, Lu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs and director of the Statistical Analysis Department, introduced that statistical data shows that in March, China's imports and exports to the Middle East turned from year-on-year growth in the previous two months to a decline.
The culprit is the war in the Middle East. Since the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked for more than 40 days.
This strait is an important passage for global goods and energy trade. According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the strait accounts for 25% of global maritime oil trade, 19% of liquefied natural gas trade, 29% of liquefied petroleum gas trade, and 13% of related chemical trade, making it one of the crucial maritime transport chokepoints in the world.
With the strait blocked, global trade is &#34;gasping for breath.&#34; The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development analysis points out that after the outbreak of the Iranian conflict, fuel prices have surged sharply and remained high, while the transportation costs of oil have risen significantly. These factors are pushing up the costs of global commodity production and transportation through the supply chain, and global goods trade is expected to decline significantly.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has recently significantly lowered its growth forecast for global goods trade. WTO Chief Economist Robert Staiger analyzed that if oil prices continue to rise throughout 2026, the growth rate of global goods trade may drop from 1.9% to about 1.4%. The growth rate of service trade may also fall from the baseline forecast of 4.8% to 4.1%.
In this environment, China's foreign trade in the first quarter has delivered a surprisingly good performance. According to customs statistics, in the first quarter, China's goods trade imports and exports reached 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%.
Wang Jun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that the imports and exports exceeded 11 trillion yuan in the first quarter, marking the first time in history for the same period, and the quarterly growth rate is also the highest in the past five years.
People can't help but ask, why can China still set records when business in the Middle East has decreased?
The answer is two words: resilience. And this resilience is built on three key pillars.
First, market diversification.
In the first quarter, China's imports and exports to countries participating in the &#34;Belt and Road&#34; initiative reached 6.06 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.2%. Imports and exports to ASEAN and Latin America both grew by 15.4%, while imports and exports to Africa increased by 23.7%, and to the European Union and the United Kingdom by 14.6% and 13.1%, respectively
Especially in terms of import sources, in the first quarter, China saw an increase in imports from over 150 countries and regions.
In other words, buyers are changing, but the guests have not stopped coming. The diversified market is like a net; when there is a hole in the Middle East, other places hold the net up.
Secondly, the import data performed impressively.
Customs statistics show that in the first quarter, China's imports grew by nearly 20%, with a growth rate 7.7 percentage points higher than exports, setting a historical high for the same period.
Among them, the hard-core growth of industrial production is allowing countries to better share the &#34;China opportunity.&#34; In the first quarter, the import values of textile raw materials, computer components, and electronic components grew by 39.3%, 45.3%, and 37.9%, respectively.
The expansion of domestic demand further drove the growth of imports. For example, in the first quarter, the import of high-tech products grew by 25.1%, and the import of bulk commodities and consumer goods also maintained good growth rates.
Thirdly, the new momentum for exports is strong.
The goods in the &#34;living room&#34; are no longer dominated by cheap small commodities; instead, high value-added products have become the mainstay, making them more resilient to challenges.
In the first quarter, the total export of storage components and central processing components grew by 39.1%, and the total export of power-related products such as power generation equipment, transmission and transformation equipment, and energy storage equipment also achieved double-digit growth.
&#34;Facing a complex and severe external environment, our confidence remains firm,&#34; said Wang Jun. He stated that the supporting conditions and basic trends for China's economy to improve in the long term have not changed, and the advantages and potential of foreign trade continue to be highlighted.
In the midst of war, there are no winners. In the face of external uncertainties, China's attitude is very resolute, which is encouraging: we must promote peace and stop the war, while also honing our internal skills.
Lv Daliang emphasized that China has always advocated resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means and has been actively committed to promoting peace and stopping the war. He hopes that all parties can work together to promote a quick easing and cooling of the situation, restoring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Middle East.
At the same time, China has also released a major initiative, continuously expanding its autonomous opening-up. Starting from May 1, China will fully implement zero tariff measures for 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations. The goal is clear: China is not only willing to be the &#34;world's factory&#34; but also the &#34;world's market.&#34;
No matter how turbulent the external environment is, as long as the &#34;living room&#34; door is still open and the guests are still present, business will not stop.
(&#34;Sanlihe&#34; Studio)

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The conflict in the Middle East has impacted global trade, leading to a decline in China's imports and exports to the region in March. However, China's foreign trade performance in the first quarter was surprisingly strong, with a total import and export value reaching 11.84 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%, marking the highest for the same period in history. The deputy director of the General Administration of Customs pointed out that despite the reduced business with the Middle East, China's foreign trade resilience remains strong, with quarterly growth rate being the highest in nearly five years

- The recent conflict in the Middle East has significantly impacted China's foreign trade, with March 2026 showing a decline in imports and exports to the region.  
- Despite these challenges, China's overall goods trade in the first quarter reached a record 11.84 trillion yuan, marking a 15% increase year-on-year, driven by market diversification, strong import growth, and robust high-value exports.  
- China's trade resilience amidst external uncertainties reflects its commitment to political solutions and increased openness, as evidenced by plans to implement zero tariffs for 53 African nations starting May 1.

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The Middle East conflict impacts global trade, and China's imports and exports demonstrate resilience