China also continues to prove its diversity in international trade markets by supplying a wide range of daily use items including lamps, handbags, women’s clothing and hair dryers.
The following list shows which Chinese exports generated the most money from sales during 2017. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level. This level of granularity can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which China has strong competitive advantages over other nations.
For the most recent four-digit HTS code data, please see the Searchable List of China’s Most Valuable Exports Products section in the China’s Top 10 Exports article. For a link to that article, see the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Chinese Export Products
Below are the 20 highest value Chinese export products shipped from the People’s Republic in 2017. Shown within brackets for each item is the percentage change in value year over year.
- Phone system devices including smartphones: US$219.4 billion (up 9% since 2016)
- Computers, optical readers: $142.2 billion (up 13.7%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $66.5 billion (up 8.8%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $32.9 billion (up 27.4%)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $31.5 billion (up 11.5%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $31 billion (up 9.8%)
- Lamps, lighting, illuminated signs: $29 billion (down -3.2%)
- Liquid crystal/laser/optical tools: $28.4 billion (down -1.1%)
- Cases, handbags, wallets: $26.9 billion (up 7.9%)
- Solar power diodes/semi-conductors: $26.8 billion (up 0.6%)
- Miscellaneous furniture: $26.7 billion (up 3%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $25.5 billion (up 31.5%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $25.3 billion (up 4.1%)
- Women’s clothing (not knit or crochet): $24.9 billion (up 0.3%)
- Models, puzzles, miscellaneous toys: $24.3 billion (up 32%)
- Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs): $23.5 billion (up 7.3%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $22.2 billion (up 6.2%)
- Footwear (rubber or plastic): $21.6 billion (up 0.8%)
- Electric water heaters, hair dryers: $19.6 billion (up 7.1%)
- Printing machinery: $18.1 billion (down -3.3%)
Models, puzzles and miscellaneous toys posted the greatest increase in value from 2016 to 2017, up 32% in value.
In second place were China’s exports of processed petroleum oils — a category that gained 31.5%.
Another fast-growing product category was computer parts or accessories, up in global sales by 27.4% year over year.
China’s highest value exports included 3 declining categories: printing machinery (down -3.3%), lamps, lighting and illuminated signs (down -3.2%) and liquid crystal, laser or optical tools (down -1.1%).
See also China’s Top 10 Major Export Companies, Top Chinese Trade Balances, China’s Top 10 Exports and China’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on April 21, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on April 21, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on April 21, 2018
