KOTRA targets China as third market in export diversification drive

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency has selected China's domestic market as the third target under its "Expanding Export Markets" digital marketing support program, following earlier pushes into the Middle East and Southeast Asia as part of its broader export diversification drive.

According to industry sources, KOTRA has been running the "Online Mission — Expanding Export Markets" program since July to help Korean exporters find alternative markets amid disruptions caused by the US-Iran war and to diversify their export destinations. As of late August, the program was supporting more than 100 companies that export to China or are seeking to do so.

Part of KOTRA's regional mission series, the program bundles consumer and regulatory information, export marketing webinars, buyer matching, one-on-one B2B video consultations, and services from 20 AI trade support centers nationwide into a comprehensive digital overseas marketing package. It launched with the Middle East in June, moved to Southeast Asia, and has now extended to China.

The Chinese government recently unveiled its "15th Five-Year Plan for Consumption Expansion (2026–2030)," setting a target to grow retail sales of consumer goods to 60 trillion yuan ($8.92 trillion) by 2030. The plan is expected to fuel growth in China's premium consumer goods and services market.

Momentum is also building on the diplomatic front. Following the Gyeongju APEC summit last November and subsequent reciprocal leadership visits, expectations for stronger economic cooperation between the two countries have grown. In the first half of this year, South Korea reclaimed its position as China's top import source for the first time in seven years, with imports from Korea reaching $138.45 billion and a market share of 9.0 percent.

Exports of five major consumer goods categories — agricultural and fishery products, cosmetics and fashion — to China posted a V-shaped rebound of 8.7 percent, the first such recovery in five years, reflecting rising consumer affinity for Korean products. KOTRA plans to accelerate this trend by actively identifying distribution channels and buyer demand in China and connecting them with Korean companies.

Twelve KOTRA trade offices in China — including those in Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao and Shenzhen — are participating in the China edition of the program. Through late August, the offices had identified 73 buyers and facilitated 202 video consultations with 113 Korean companies, while also providing comprehensive digital marketing services including AI-assisted marketing and onboarding onto Buy Korea, a B2B export platform.

In addition, KOTRA co-hosted a webinar on Chinese certification requirements with the Korea Testing & Research Institute in August to help companies navigate tightening regulations. The session covered how to respond to China's recently strengthened safety assessment standards for imported goods and revisions to its overseas manufacturer registration regime.

"China's domestic market is not only growing in scale but also showing a stronger preference for high-quality, safe products, which is opening up greater opportunities for Korean companies," said Kang Sang-yeop, head of KOTRA's small and midsize enterprise division. "We will do our utmost to improve Korean companies' access to overseas markets through integrated online-offline digital marketing and help them build the capabilities they need."

Meanwhile, KOTRA has been stepping up support for Korean exporters on multiple fronts. To reinforce the virtuous cycle linking the spread of Korean culture in Europe to growth in K-consumer goods exports, the agency joined the Korea Tourism Organization and local governments to hold the "2026 K-Culture and Tourism Festival" at Galeria department store in Frankfurt — a landmark of the city's consumer culture — over two days beginning Friday.