Foreign trade, also known as "foreign trade" or "import and export trade", refers to the exchange of goods and services between a country (region) and another country (region). This trade consists of two parts: import and export. For countries (regions) that import goods or services, it is import; For countries (regions) that ship goods or services, it is export. This began to emerge and develop in slave society and feudal society, and developed more rapidly in capitalist society. Its nature and function are determined by different social systems.

Reciprocal trade: A trade in which a seller undertakes to buy goods or services of equal value from a buyer

Exhibition trade: An international fair or fair held in the country for a period of time to conduct import and export transactions

Processing trade: usually referred to as "three trade", including incoming processing trade, incoming assembly trade, incoming sample processing trade, also known as processing trade.

Compensation trade: import machinery, equipment and technology from abroad in the form of credit purchase, and repay the principal and interest of the purchase price with the products and services produced after production. (The combination of compensation trade and processing trade is often referred to as "three to one supplement".)