On July 14, the General Administration of Customs reported that China's import-export trade for AI-related hardware – including electronic components and computer parts – reached RMB 5.13 trillion in H1 2026, a 56.6% surge year-over-year, driven by booming AI infrastructure demand, according to Deputy Director Wang Jun.

Overall export structure continued to improve: electromechanical exports grew 20.1% to RMB 9.36 trillion, accounting for 63.5% of total exports (up 3.5 percentage points). High-tech exports rose 39% to RMB 3.26 trillion, while proprietary brand exports increased 25.4%, raising their share by 2.4 percentage points.

Import growth outpaced exports by 8.7 percentage points, helping balance trade. Bulk commodity imports (energy, metal ores) totaled 1.429 billion tons (+3.4%); electromechanical imports reached RMB 4.41 trillion (+28%); agricultural imports grew 8.6% to RMB 768.5 billion.

From ICgoodFind: AI doesn't just consume compute – it moves hardware across borders. When trade in components alone hits RMB 5 trillion in six months, the entire electronics supply chain is working at full tilt.