On March 17, head of the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services of the Ministry of Commerce commented on the development of China's culture trade in 2019.

The official said that in 2019, China's culture trade maintained a steady and rapid development. The total volume of import and export of cultural products was US$ 111.45 billion, up 8.9% year on year. More specifically, the export volume was US$ 99.89 billion, up 7.9%, and the import volume was US$ 11.57 billion, up 17.4%. The trade surplus was US$ 88.32 billion, with the scale enlarged by 6.8%. In terms of categories, the export of stationary, arts, crafts and collectibles, and publications increased rapidly by 11.7%, 5.6%, and 4.8% respectively. In terms of countries and regions, China’s export to the ASEAN and the EU grew rapidly by 47.4% and 18.9% respectively; the export to the countries along the “Belt and Road” increased by 24.9%; the export to the United States fell by 6.3%. The import and export volume of personal, cultural and entertainment services was US$ 5.28 billion, up 14.5% year on year. More specifically, the export volume was US$ 1.2 billion, down 1.3%, and the import volume was US$ 4.08 billion, up 20.2%. The outward investment of culture, sports and entertainment industries was US$ 540 million, down 68.0%, accounting for 0.5% of China's non-financial outward investment.