China has more than 2000 years of rich history in foreign trade, where a number of complex issues are involved. Unlike traditional elaboration methods, which are structured according to time or topics, this book integrates the two so that readers can grasp the overall development as well as have a basic understanding of key issues. The book consists of ten chapters. Chapters one to five describe China’s foreign trade policies, institutions, Sino-foreign trade relations, composition of import and export commodities, and foreign trade and economic and cultural exchanges since the middle of the Western Han Dynasty in the 2nd century BC. Chapters six to eight illustrate the control of Western powers over China’s foreign trade, and the scale and level of China’s foreign trade development from the Opium War of 1840 to the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chapters nine and ten explain the guiding ideology of foreign trade and the current situation and trends of import and export trade since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.