In the first half of 2025, in the context of continued fluctuations in global trade tensions, China’s pharmaceutical foreign trade showed strong resilience, with total trade amounting to 97.95 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 0.23%, of which 54.539 billion U.S. dollars were exported, a year-on-year increase of 3.80%. Behind this report card, is China’s pharmaceutical industry to take the initiative to break through the traditional path of dependence, in the market diversification and expansion, product structure upgrading, supply chain resilience reshaping synchronization of the transformation results. When exports to the U.S. market fell 3.49% year-on-year, the European Union, Russia, Latin America and other emerging markets, a more pronounced increase to undertake the transfer of China’s exports, and medical devices, specialty APIs and innovative drug product upgrades for the industry to open up a new track to get rid of homogeneous competition.
From the point of view of product structure, medical devices and western pharmaceutical products continue to play the role of export pillar. Medical device exports of 24.1 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 5.03%, of which medical dressings and disposable consumables increased by 5.64% and 7.96% respectively. Western medicine exports amounted to US$27.933 billion, an increase of 3.71% year-on-year, of which US$22.146 billion was exported as raw materials for western medicines, an increase of 3.76%.
From the perspective of export market pattern, the performance of each market is significantly differentiated: the U.S. market exports fell 3.49% year-on-year to $8.594 billion, of which exports of medical devices declined by 4.44%; while the EU market grew to $11.899 billion, with Germany (+9.95%), Poland (+12.97%) and other countries becoming the main growth poles. Emerging market demand showed structural growth characteristics, South America grew by 6.33% to $5.04 billion, of which Argentina (+19.06%), Peru (+23.87%) led the growth rate; exports to India grew by 4.84% to $4.356 billion; the Russian market achieved a high growth rate of 18.3%, with exports amounting to $1.692 billion.
Pharmaceutical foreign trade data in the first half of 2025 reveals China’s strategic shift from “passive response” to “active layout”. Also reflects the rigid demand for Chinese pharmaceutical products in the global market and irreplaceable, South America, Africa and other emerging markets faster growth has become an important engine of market diversification. It is expected that in the second half of the year with the improvement of the international trade environment, China’s pharmaceutical exports are expected to continue the first half of the steady upward trend, the adjustment of the export structure is expected to become a new bright spot.
