BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade maintained sound momentum in the first three quarters of 2026, with both exports and imports growing rapidly and the overall growth rate reaching its highest level for the same period in five years, official data showed Wednesday.

The country's total imports and exports rose 18.8 percent year on year to 39.94 trillion yuan (about 5.94 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-September period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Growth accelerated through the year, with the expansion rate rising from 15.3 percent in the first quarter to 18.3 percent in the second quarter and 22.3 percent in the third quarter.

Foreign trade growth in the first three quarters was the fastest for the same period in the past five years, with both quarterly and monthly growth rates generally accelerating, said Wang Jun, GAC's deputy head.

"Latest international data show that such a growth rate ranks among the top among major economies, and China remains the world's largest trader of goods," the official told a press conference on Wednesday.

Wang said the performance could be summed up in four words: "fast, new, quality and open." Describing the "new," he noted that trade in industrial robots, electronic components, computer parts and electrical equipment exceeded 10 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, up 58.9 percent and driving overall import and export growth by 11.3 percentage points.

Exports increased 16.4 percent year on year to 23.2 trillion yuan, while imports expanded by 22.3 percent to 16.74 trillion yuan, GAC data showed.

In September alone, China's total imports and exports reached 5.16 trillion yuan, up 27.5 percent from a year earlier and crossing the 5-trillion-yuan mark for the first time. This figure also marked the sixth consecutive month of double-digit monthly growth.

Exports rose 29.6 percent year on year to 3.03 trillion yuan, while imports grew 24.6 percent to 2.13 trillion yuan for the month.

Exports continued to shift toward smarter and greener products. Integrated circuit exports surged 99.1 percent year on year in the first three quarters, while exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and wind power generating sets and their parts rose 72.3 percent, 36.4 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively.

In east China's Anhui Province, robotics manufacturer EFORT Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. has continued to see growth in overseas orders this year. After completing simulated spray-painting tests on vehicle bodies, a batch of its spraying robots will be exported to Italy.

The company's overseas revenue increased by more than 50 percent year on year in the first half of 2026. "We provide well-known automakers like Maserati and Volkswagen with integrated robotics solutions for smart production, covering painting, welding, precision assembly and the handling of materials," said You Wei, EFORT's chairman and CEO, adding that EFORT's overseas robot business has grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 100 percent over the past three years.

Foreign-invested enterprises in China remained active players in the trade expansion. Their total imports and exports rose 19 percent to 11.69 trillion yuan, a record high for the same period, with intermediate goods trade up 27.4 percent to 7.9 trillion yuan and high-tech product exports up 42.1 percent. Wang said more foreign firms are embracing "China Opportunity 2.0," deepening their integration into China's industrial and innovation chains.

"The global AI investment boom has kept overseas demand firm, and rising prices will continue to drive rapid growth in chip exports, which is currently the main driver of China's export expansion," said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating. He added that China's manufacturing upgrading has continued to boost exports of new energy vehicles and high-tech products.

The country's trade with more than 180 countries and regions expanded during the first three quarters. Trade with free trade partners reached 19.55 trillion yuan, up 30 percent and contributing over 70 percent of the total trade increment. Meanwhile, trade with other APEC economies rose 23.9 percent to 24.07 trillion yuan.

Trade with ASEAN grew 22.7 percent to 6.84 trillion yuan, that with the European Union rose 8.4 percent to 4.78 trillion yuan, and trade with the United States increased 4.1 percent to 3.18 trillion yuan.

Exports continued to shift toward new and higher-quality growth drivers. The equipment manufacturing sector contributed nearly 90 percent of the export increment, while intermediate goods accounted for more than half of total exports, underpinning global industrial and supply chains, according to the GAC.