The top 10 products from China
Two product types are each split across two PCT codes with the same description, so we've combined them: smartphones (8517.1310 and 8517.1390) and hot-rolled flat steel (7208.9090 and 7208.3990).
| # | Product | From China | China's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smartphones | $108.8m | ~80% |
| 2 | Solar panels | $89.8m | 99.9% |
| 3 | Hot-rolled flat steel | $73.5m | 91% / 41% |
| 4 | Polyester textured filament yarn | $43.3m | 88.4% |
| 5 | Plug-in hybrid vehicles (mainly kits) | $42.7m | 100% |
| 6 | Lithium-ion batteries | $35.8m | 99.2% |
| 7 | Electric buses | $32.2m | 99.9% |
| 8 | Static converters (inverters, chargers) | $29.9m | 95.4% |
| 9 | Electric cars | $29.5m | 93.9% |
| 10 | Hybrid vehicles (mainly kits) | $27.0m | 69.2% |
"China's share" is China's share of everything Pakistan imported under that code. Just outside the top ten were woven polyester fabrics ($25.6m) and knitted pile fabrics ($19.7m), both inputs for Pakistan's textile industry.
The clean-energy and EV wave
Five of the top ten are clean-energy or electric-vehicle goods: solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, inverters and converters, electric buses and electric cars. Together they come to $217 million, about one in every ten dollars Pakistan spent in China. Counting the hybrid lines takes it to $287 million.
- Electric buses: 231 units at an average declared value of about $139,500 each
- Electric cars: 1,932 units at an average declared value of about $16,260
- Hybrid and plug-in hybrid lines: declared at about $990 to $1,190 per unit, far below the price of a finished car. That points to kits or components for local assembly rather than complete vehicles.
What Pakistan buys from China, by sector
By chapter, electrical machinery and electronics lead with 22.1% ($467m). Next come vehicles at 12.1% ($256m), machinery at 11.1% ($235m), iron and steel at 8.3% ($175m), synthetic filament yarns at 5.5% ($117m), organic chemicals at 5.4% ($115m) and plastics at 4.7% ($98m). The full list is on the imports from China page.
How goods from China reach Pakistan
Ports of loading: Shanghai (25.9%), Ningbo (16.4%), Shekou (12.2%) and Qingdao (10.4%) handle almost two-thirds of the value. Bayuquan (3.1%) and Caofeidian (2.3%), both big steel ports, follow.
Arrival in Pakistan: Karachi cleared 87.6%, Lahore 6.1%, Port Qasim 2.8%, Sost on the Karakoram (Khunjerab) route 1.3% ($26.8m) and Peshawar 1.0%. By mode, 87.3% came by sea, 7.9% by air, 3.2% through dry ports and 1.3% overland. The busiest China–Pakistan routes are ranked on the shipping lanes page.
Three-month view
| Month | Imports from China | Share of all imports | Effective tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | $2.62bn | 37.5% | 27.0% |
| August 2026 | $1.70bn | 29.5% | 26.7% |
| September 2026 | $2.11bn | 32.2% | 30.0% |
Solar panels were the single largest import from China in all three months, but their weight is shrinking: from 8.3% of everything bought from China in July ($218m) to 4.2% in September ($90m). Smartphones under 8517.1310 held steady at $82m to $95m a month. See the monthly chart on the China page.
Duties paid on Chinese goods
Importers paid Rs 179.6 billion in duties and taxes on goods from China, an effective 30.0% of assessed value. That's slightly above the 27.8% average across all imports. Rates vary widely by product: solar panels paid 12.7%, for example. Look up any product in the import duty finder.
Frequently asked questions
What does Pakistan import most from China?
In September 2026 the biggest imports from China were smartphones ($108.8m), solar panels ($89.8m), hot-rolled steel ($73.5m), polyester filament yarn ($43.3m) and plug-in hybrid vehicle kits ($42.7m).
How much does Pakistan import from China?
US$2.11 billion in September 2026, 32.2% of all Pakistan's imports that month.
Which Chinese ports ship most to Pakistan?
Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou and Qingdao, which together loaded almost two-thirds of Pakistan's imports from China by value.
How much duty is paid on goods from China?
An effective 30.0% of assessed value in September 2026 (Rs 179.6 billion), though it ranges from about 12.7% on solar panels to far higher on vehicles.
Source: Pakistan Customs records for September 2026, aggregated by PakTradeStats. Figures based on fewer than three traders are withheld. See our methodology.