Chinese exporters learn to adapt, thrive

Looking back at the trajectory of China's foreign trade in 2025 is like tracing a line marked by pressures, adaptation and resilience. For a journalist who has observed all the twists and turns, it is more of a story about the ability of many businesses to transform adversity into opportunity.

The year began under a familiar but intensifying shadow, as the United States announced new tariffs on Chinese imports, triggering uncertainty in boardrooms and on factory floors across China's major export provinces.

The Chinese government's firm and swift countermeasures sent a clear message to the other side of the Pacific that trade wars produce no winners, and if forced to fight, China will fight till the end. This principled stance provided the nation's business community with something vital — confidence. It underscored that they were not navigating the headwinds alone, but were backed by a national commitment to safeguarding their rights and interests in a rules-based system.

The subsequent easing of trade tensions with the US — although it still left tariffs at an elevated level — created a workable "dynamic stability" that businesses could begin to navigate.

"The return of the US market is largely attributed to China's hardline stance and resolute countermeasures since the very beginning of the tariff war," Mu Longsheng, marketing director of an oral care products manufacturer in Jiangsu province, told me during an interview. "Standing firm has earned us the respect and the orders we deserve," Mu added.

In the sprawling markets in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, I also interviewed merchants who once relied heavily on US buyers and have now begun making products for Southeast Asian, African and Latin American markets.

Yes, it has been a demanding year, marked by complexities that required constant adaptation. But to label it merely "difficult" would be missing the point, because it has also been a year of maturation.

Many exporters across sectors taught me that resilience is not merely about surviving the storm; it is about learning to dance in the rain, as Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway said.

The road ahead remains uncertain. But having witnessed the transformation in 2025, I am confident that China's exporters will continue adapting, innovating and thriving.

They have discovered something profound — their greatest strength lies not in any single market, but in their ability to evolve, to create and to connect with customers across an increasingly multipolar world.