• The largest import sources of China

Asian countries: Due to its close and advantageous geographical location for trade, China tends to import many goods from Asian countries/territories. In 2022, total imports of goods from countries in this region accounted for 54.94% of China's total import turnover (ITC Trademap, 2023). Notably, in the top 10 largest import partners of China, half of the countries/territories are in Asia, accounting for 30.2% of this country's total import turnover.

Russia, Germany, Brazil: Even though there is no FTA with China, these countries still significantly export to this market.

These largest import partners currently dominate China's import market in the majority of products (especially raw materials, machinery, equipment, components, wood, metals, and fruits, etc.). Among these import partners, there are many large economies with high competitiveness and many export products similar to Vietnam, so Vietnamese goods are evaluated to face a high level of competition when entering the Chinese market.

Table 1 - Top 10 importing partners of China in 2022

Source: ITC Trade Map, 2023

• FTA partners

By the end of 2022, China has a total of 20 FTAs in effect ​​(with 28 economies) and 9 FTAs ​​under negotiation (China’s Ministry of Commerce, 2023). Thus, goods from these 28 partners when exported to the Chinese market will enjoy preferential tariffs under the FTA with China.

The majority of China's FTA partners are located in Asia and ASEAN, with many products similar to Vietnam. Despite having 02 FTAs with China, Vietnam still has to compete fiercely with regional economies when exporting to this market.

Table 2 - China’s FTAs and FTA partners

Source: China’s Ministry of Commerce, 2023

Source: Center for WTO and International Trade

• Market size of China
• Trade activities of China
• Consumer characteristics in China
• Characteristics of China’s distribution system
• Vietnam's exports to China