China's services trade grew 4.9 per cent year on year in the first four months of 2026, with travel and knowledge-intensive exports showing strong gains, reports Xinhua.

The Ministry of Commerce said total imports and exports of services reached nearly CNY2.49 trillion (US$364.65 billion) between January and April.

Travel service exports rose 30.4 per cent to 147.15 billion yuan, the fastest growth among service export sectors.

Knowledge-intensive services trade increased 5.1 per cent to CNY1.1 trillion, accounting for 44.4 per cent of overall services trade. Exports of cultural and entertainment services surged 39.5 per cent, while charges for use of intellectual property climbed 20.8 per cent.

Imports of transport services totalled CNY316.45 billion, up 24.9 per cent, marking the fastest growth among the top five service import categories.