US EditionChina exports sharply beat expectations in the first two months as trade surplus surges to highest on record
China's exports grew 21.8% and imports 19.8% in January–February, with trade surplus reaching a record $213.6 billion amid strong external demand and domestic activity.
- On March 10, China reported exports rose 21.8% in January–February, beating the Reuters median of 7.1%, with a record trade surplus of $213.6 billion.
- Amid Lunar New Year distortions, China combines January and February trade data to smooth effects alongside strong two-month figures, following the 'Two Sessions' where Chinese Premier Li Qiang acknowledged U.S. tariffs.
- Compared with December, China's January–February imports increased 19.8%, customs data showed, well above expectations. "Two Sessions" followed by strong trade data signals economic resilience.
- Manufacturers shifted exports to Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America to blunt lost U.S. demand, while earlier Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs remain in effect, reaching as high as 100%.
- Looking toward 2026, policymakers see China on track to surpass a $1.2 trillion trade surplus, as Premier Li Qiang set a 4.5%–5% growth target for 2026.
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CHINA RECORD TRADE SURPLUS HIT $213.6 BILLION.. THE HIGHEST IN ITS HISTORY
Emirates 24/7 — China's trade surplus soared to an all-time high during the combined January-February period, with exports significantly exceeding market expectations despite ongoing trade tensions with the United States.According to the latest customs data, the trade balance rose to $213.62 billion, comfortably surpassing the $179.6 billion forecast by analysts.Chinese exports jumped 21.8% year-on-year for the first two months of 2024, far outs…
The performance of foreign trade also marks a solid start for the first year of China's Fifteenth Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which sets high-quality development and the creation of new productive forces as priorities.
Chinese exports surge despite US tariffs
Chinese exports surged 22% in the first two months of 2026 compared to the previous year, the latest sign that Beijing is weathering Washington’s tariffs. Though US-bound exports have dropped significantly since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, overall shipments have remained strong: Beijing registered a record trade surplus of more than $1 trillion last year. Still, the export numbers have also pointed to China’s two-speed eco…
Values exceed the annual growth rate of 6.6% registered in December. The increase in exports to other regions helped compensate for the decrease in exports to the US.
China's exports increased by more than 20% in the first two months of the year, almost three times more than economic estimates, in the face of commercial tensions with the United States and the duties imposed by the Trump administration. Official data show that the strong progress of exports could lead to a surplus of Beijing's record record in 2025.
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