Top 10 Countries China Exported To in 2024: Key Destinations, Trade Values & Trends

China remained the world’s top exporter in 2024, sending over $3.57 trillion worth of goods abroad. Despite geopolitical headwinds, supply chain shifts, and slowing global growth, Chinese exports continued to flow strongly, with a mix of high-tech goods, consumer products, and industrial components driving demand. Below, we break down the top 10 destinations for Chinese exports in 2024, along with the numbers and trends behind them.

China exports a wide range of manufactured goods to the United States, especially electronics and electrical machinery (smartphones, computers, televisions, semiconductors, circuit boards), machinery and mechanical appliances, as well as textiles, apparel, furniture, and toys. These are high-volume, high-value items that leverage China’s strong position in global supply chains for consumer electronics and durable goods.

In 2024, U.S. imports from China (i.e., China’s exports to the U.S.) totaled about US $438.7 billion in goods. This makes the U.S. one of China’s largest export markets. (Note: the $438.7 billion is based on U.S. import data; Chinese export statistics may differ slightly.)

China’s exports to Hong Kong include electrical machinery & electronics, optical and medical instruments, clocks and watches, precious metals and jewelry, as well as consumer goods and parts that may be re-exported onward. Because Hong Kong is a major re-export hub, many goods enter there before being shipped to other markets.

In 2024, Hong Kong remained among China’s top destinations by trade surplus. According to data on China’s top import partners, the trade imbalance (i.e., surplus) with Hong Kong was around $272.7 billion in 2024.

China’s exports to Vietnam are dominated by electrical and electronic equipment, machinery and mechanical appliances, components and intermediate parts, as well as textiles, plastics, and chemicals. As many global firms relocate part of their supply chains to Southeast Asia, China supplies input goods and intermediate components to Vietnam’s factories.

In 2024, China’s exports to Vietnam reached a record US$163 billion, representing an 18% increase over the previous year. Of that, electrical and electronic equipment alone accounted for approximately $58.6 billion of China's exports to Vietnam.

China exports to Japan include machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical and electronic equipment, optical, medical, and precision instruments, chemicals, and steel and metal products. Japan is a technologically advanced economy, and many of the exported items are intermediate and capital goods used in Japanese manufacturing and assembly. China's exports to Japan were $152.01 billion during 2024.

South Korea accounted for $146.4 billion in Chinese exports during 2024, making up about 4.1% of the total. The trade is highly technical and symbiotic, dominated by semiconductors, electronics, and industrial inputs that feed into Korea’s globally competitive industries such as smartphones, displays, and automobiles. Seoul and Beijing’s economic interdependence is striking: Korean firms rely on Chinese-made components, while China often depends on South Korea’s advanced chips for its own manufacturing ecosystem. This two-way dependency makes the trade both resilient and strategically significant.

China exported $120.5 billion worth of goods to India in 2024, equivalent to 3.4% of its overall exports. The product mix is broad: from smartphones and electronic components to chemicals, machinery, and auto parts. India’s rapid growth in infrastructure and manufacturing has only deepened this dependency, with Chinese inputs critical to many of its industries. Yet, the relationship is politically charged, with India pushing for self-reliance and tighter scrutiny on Chinese investments. Still, trade flows demonstrate that, despite political rhetoric, China remains India’s top import source.

Exports from China to Russia surged to $115.5 billion in 2024, accounting for 3.2% of total shipments. Russia’s pivot toward China has accelerated due to Western sanctions, making Beijing Moscow’s most important trading partner. The basket is diverse: automobiles, machinery, electronics, and consumer goods all flow into Russia, often filling gaps left by Western suppliers. This trend highlights how geopolitical alignment and sanctions-busting trade corridors have boosted bilateral commerce. For China, Russia is not just a customer but also a political ally, reshaping the structure of Eurasian trade.

Germany imported $107 billion of goods from China in 2024, or about 3.0% of Chinese exports. The trade is dominated by machinery, auto parts, and electronics — products that power Germany’s industrial backbone. Despite Europe’s push to reduce dependency on China, Berlin remains highly reliant on Chinese inputs, especially in electric vehicle (EV) components and renewable energy technologies. German companies continue to source heavily from Chinese suppliers, underscoring the difficulty of decoupling in practice, even as policymakers in Brussels and Berlin raise alarms over dependency risks.

Malaysia was a major Southeast Asian partner, absorbing $101.2 billion in Chinese goods in 2024, equivalent to 2.8% of total exports. Much of this trade is tied to regional supply chains and ASEAN integration, particularly in the electronics, machinery, and chemicals sectors. Malaysia has also become a re-export hub for certain Chinese goods, particularly in the high-tech and semiconductor sectors. Notably, Malaysia was among the few partners to record double-digit growth in imports from China in 2024, underscoring its role as a rising hub in China’s regional trade expansion.

The Netherlands is ranked tenth, importing approximately $91.1 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2024, which accounts for roughly 2.5% of the total. Rotterdam and other Dutch ports function as Europe’s primary logistics and distribution hubs, with many Chinese goods landing in the Netherlands before being re-exported across the continent. The export basket includes consumer electronics, machinery, textiles, and increasingly green-tech products such as solar panels. While China’s shipments to the Netherlands decreased by nearly 9% year-over-year, the country remains a crucial gateway for Beijing’s European trade flows.

1. What was the total value of China’s exports in 2024?
China exported goods worth about $3.57 trillion in 2024, maintaining its position as the world’s top exporter.

2. Who is China’s largest export market?
The United States is China’s largest export market, importing roughly $438.7 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2024.

3. Why is Hong Kong such a big export destination for China?
Hong Kong acts as a re-export hub. Many goods that enter Hong Kong are then shipped onward to global markets, making it a key intermediary for Chinese trade.

4. What products dominate China’s exports to Southeast Asia?
China exports a high volume of electronics, machinery, chemicals, and textiles to Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, much of which supports regional supply chains.