China has announced a new policy package aimed at accelerating the country’s transition toward greener, low-carbon foreign trade. The Ministry of Commerce recently issued the Implementation Opinions on Expanding Green Trade, introducing 16 targeted measures designed to address current gaps in green development capabilities, logistical carbon reduction potential, and supporting regulatory systems. Together, these initiatives aim to cultivate new momentum for foreign trade while reinforcing national goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Key Areas of Policy Focus

The newly released Opinions concentrate on four main areas: enhancing the green capabilities of foreign trade enterprises, expanding the import and export of green products and technologies, building a favorable international environment for green trade, and improving supporting and guarantee mechanisms. Measures include encouraging companies to adopt renewable energy, upgrading equipment to reduce emissions, and shifting bulk cargo transport from road to rail or water to lower logistics-related carbon output. The policy package also promotes the development of carbon footprint databases across industries, the establishment of green and low-carbon exhibition zones, and the enhancement of national standards for green exhibitions.

Aligning with Global Low-Carbon Trends

Green and low-carbon products are increasingly shaping the competitiveness of China’s foreign trade. Recent export data underscores this momentum: strong growth in wind power equipment, sustained expansion in photovoltaic product exports, and rising global demand for electric vehicles and environmentally friendly household appliances. According to the Ministry of Commerce, green trade has become an important pillar supporting both the scale and structural optimization of China’s foreign trade. Major exhibitions such as the Canton Fair and the China International Import Expo (CIIE) have also achieved 100% green power usage and complete compliance with green booth standards, reflecting how sustainability practices are becoming embedded across industry platforms.

Enhancing Measurement, Standards, and International Integration

To improve governance and oversight, additional green indicators—covering construction, energy consumption, and waste—have been incorporated into national exhibition statistics, enabling more accurate assessments of environmental performance. At the same time, China is accelerating efforts to improve green product standards, certification systems, and labeling frameworks, with a strong emphasis on international mutual recognition. These efforts not only facilitate global market access for Chinese green products but also contribute to the standardization and expansion of the global green economy.

Coordinated Actions to Drive Green Transformation

Expanding green trade requires cross-sector collaboration. China’s industrial authorities have already cultivated thousands of national green factories and nearly 500 green industrial parks, representing more than 20% of total industrial output value. Future efforts will focus on deepening green design, advancing low-carbon manufacturing, and building a comprehensive green industrial ecosystem across the entire product lifecycle. Market regulators, meanwhile, are strengthening the integrity of the green certification system, expanding certification scopes, and improving regulatory mechanisms to ensure transparency and market order.

The Role of Green Finance in Supporting Trade Expansion

Financial institutions are expected to play a critical enabling role as China’s green transformation gains pace. The People’s Bank of China plans to promote the application of green and transition finance standards, encourage innovative financing tools, and expand support for enterprises engaged in R&D, logistics, carbon certification, and resource recycling. Lower financing thresholds, combined with increased availability of green financial instruments in global markets, aim to provide both domestic and international investors with greater access to high-quality Chinese green assets.

A Coordinated Path Toward Sustainable Growth

China’s 16 new measures highlight a coordinated approach to aligning trade development with environmental sustainability. By improving enterprise capabilities, strengthening industry standards, expanding financial support, and promoting international cooperation, China aims to enhance its competitiveness in a global market increasingly shaped by low-carbon expectations. As the world accelerates toward greener economic models, China’s ongoing efforts to build a robust and transparent green trade ecosystem will play a pivotal role in shaping both domestic transformation and global sustainability outcomes.