According to customs data, the surplus was boosted by higher trade volumes in December: exports rose 6.6% year-on-year, better than economists’ estimates and higher than November’s 5.9% year-on-year growth. These data cites Euronews.
The publication notes that the slowdown in trade with the United States was more than offset by an increase in the supply of Chinese goods to other countries.
Overall, exports in 2025 grew by 5.5% to 3.77 trillion dollars, while imports for the year remained unchanged at 2.58 trillion dollars. The surplus grew due to high-tech goods: exports of electric cars, lithium batteries and solar panels increased by almost a third (27%), industrial equipment and robots – by 13%.
Economists expect exports to continue to support China’s economy this year despite trade friction and geopolitical tensions.
“We continue to expect exports to act as the main driver of growth in 2026,” said Jacqueline Rong, chief China economist at BNP Paribas.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office and intensified the trade fight with the world’s second-largest economy, China’s exports to the United States have fallen sharply, but sales to other markets in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe have more than offset the decline.
Analysts said strong global demand for computer chips and other devices, as well as the materials needed to make them, were among the categories that supported the growth in Chinese exports.
