中国已是世界最大商品出口国，且正快速攀升为知识密集型服务出口大国。世界贸易组织资料显示，中国在2024年已成为数位交付服务第6大出口国，较2005年的第17位大幅上升。2024年，中国资讯与通信技术服务出口为1000亿美元（100bn），高于玩具822亿美元（82bn）与鞋类511亿美元（51bn）。其他商业服务（顾问、研发与技术服务）出口1130亿美元（113bn），超过钢铁711亿美元（71bn）与服装851亿美元（85bn），建筑服务34亿美元（34bn）亦高于玻璃器皿255亿美元（25.5bn）。
中国的上升与「一带一路」计划高度关联。该计划向全球铺设基础设施，为港口、铁路与发电等设施创造持续性服务需求，例如营运管理、数位监测、技术培训、维修合约、软体升级与云端运算。基础设施专案通常伴随多年期服务合同；中国电信企业在巴基斯坦建网，或中国科技巨头在巴西建资料中心后，往往还会接续提供技术支援、维护与相关运营服务。
高附加价值产品的扩张（电动车、机器人、无人机、太阳能板、风力涡轮机）也进一步推动此趋势，因其产品需持续软体更新、连网、远端监测与维护。人工智慧尤其是DeepSeek等中国开源模型正在扩张；其全球下载量于9月超越美国，并在非洲、中东及美国的采用率提升。结果是中国知识密集型服务贸易已由本世纪长期逆差转为2015年前后起的顺差，而「其他服务」顺差在2024年达80bn美元以上，仅低于美国、英国与印度。尽管如此，2024年服务总出口仍仅为货物出口的12.5%，整体服务仍为逆差，主要来自旅游、教育与智慧财产权权利金项目（中国仍为IP净进口国）。这一趋势意味中国知识密集型服务顺差可能持续扩大，并对既有竞争者（含美国）形成压力，对中国科技龙头股构成偏正面的结构性论点。
China is already the world's largest merchandise exporter and is now climbing the global rank as a leading exporter of knowledge-intensive services. WTO data show that by 2024 China had become the world's sixth-largest exporter of digitally delivered services, up from 17th in 2005. In 2024, ICT service exports reached $100bn, exceeding toys ($82bn) and footwear ($51bn). Exports of other business services (consulting, R&D, and technical services) reached $113bn, above iron and steel ($71bn) and apparel ($85bn), while construction services at $34bn surpassed glassware ($25.5bn).
The rise is closely linked to the One Belt, One Road program, which built infrastructure globally and created recurring service demand for operations management, digital monitoring, technical training, maintenance contracts, software upgrades, and cloud computing. Major projects often generate multi-year service contracts: after a telecom firm builds a network in Pakistan or a Chinese tech giant builds a data centre in Brazil, follow-on services include technical support, maintenance, and related operations work.
Expansion in higher-value goods exports—electric vehicles, robots, drones, solar panels, and wind turbines—has reinforced this pattern because these products embed software and require continuing connectivity, remote monitoring, and maintenance. AI, especially Chinese open-source systems such as DeepSeek, is also widening demand; global downloads of Chinese open-source AI models surpassed the US in September, while adoption rose in Africa, the Middle East, and the US. As a result, China’s knowledge-intensive services trade shifted from a long-term deficit to a surplus from around 2015, with the surplus in “other services” exceeding $80bn in 2024, behind only the US, UK, and India. Still, total service exports were only 12.5% of goods exports in 2024 and the overall services balance remains negative, mainly from deficits in travel, education, and royalties/IP. The broader trend suggests continued growth in China’s knowledge-intensive service surplus and likely pressure on incumbents, including the US, which supports a constructive China technology stock view.