How to become an International Trade Specialist

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 国际商务专业人员

Handles trade in goods, technology and other business between countries.

Main tasks

• Handling import and export trade in goods
• Handling international technology transfer and trade
• Handling the business of sending workers abroad and bringing workers in
• Handling international leasing
• Carrying out research and advice on international business
• Arranging storage and transport of foreign trade goods
• Handling projects that give or receive foreign aid and taking part in bilateral or multilateral economic cooperation talks
• Taking on international engineering contracts
• Handling cross border investment and international loans
• Running international business operations

Ways in

• University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Business Administration (1202); Economics and Trade (0204); E-commerce (1208); Logistics Management and Engineering (1206); majors such as Cross-border E-commerce, E-commerce, International Economics and Trade, Marketing, International Business, Marketing Education. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
• Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied French (570211). Vocational major 570211 Applied French (应用法语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Tour Guide Qualification.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied German (570213). Vocational major 570213 Applied German (应用德语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Tour Guide Qualification.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied Japanese (570206). Vocational major 570206 Applied Japanese (应用日语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied Korean (570204). Vocational major 570204 Applied Korean (应用韩语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied Russian (570210). Vocational major 570210 Applied Russian (应用俄语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Cross-border E-commerce Multi-platform Operations.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied Spanish (570212). Vocational major 570212 Applied Spanish (应用西班牙语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Tour Guide Qualification.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Business Data Analysis and Applications (530706). Vocational major 530706 Business Data Analysis and Applications (商务数据分析与应用), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: E-commerce Data Analysis; Data Collection; Supply Chain Data Analysis; Python Programming.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Business Japanese (570205). Vocational major 570205 Business Japanese (商务日语), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向).

Pay · AI and this job

• Median pay in China: CN¥80,100 a year (2025).
• Middle half: CN¥55,300 to CN¥127,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥202,900.
• This is the figure for the mid group Economic and Financial Professionals, not for this job alone.
• National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
• Guangzhou only: median CN¥91,000 a year (2025), middle half CN¥58,800 to CN¥137,065.
• Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

• The census group Economic and Financial Professionals holds 2.2% of everyone employed in China; 71% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
• 50.4% are under 35, 45.7% are 35 to 54 and 3.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 30 to 34.
• Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Related jobs

• Broker and Agent
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• Business Planning Consultant
• Brand Manager
• Events and Exhibitions Planner
• Property Development Manager

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Questions people ask

How do I become an International Trade Specialist?

Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied French (570211); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Applied German (570213).

How much does an International Trade Specialist earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥80,100 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Economic and Financial Professionals. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥91,000 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of an International Trade Specialist?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
• Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026