China's Latest Trade Figures – April 2025China’s latest trade data for April 2025 shows resilient export growth despite mounting global trade tensions and steep U.S. tariffs. Exports rose by 8.1% year-on-year, significantly outperforming analyst expectations of a 1.9% rise. This growth was largely driven by increased shipments to Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as exporters pivoted away from the U.S. market. Imports, on the other hand, fell marginally by 0.2%, suggesting modest recovery in domestic demand.Trade with the United States remains under pressure. Chinese exports to the U.S. plummeted by 21% in April, and imports from the U.S. dropped over 13%, both attributed to the imposition of new tariffs—up to 145%—on Chinese goods. In response, former President Donald Trump has floated reducing tariffs to 80%, with U.S.-China trade talks scheduled to resume in Switzerland.Despite these challenges, China’s overall trade surplus surged to $96.18 billion in April, up from $72.04 billion a year earlier. The surplus with the U.S., however, narrowed to $20.5 billion from $27.6 billion in March, illustrating the growing impact of tariffs and trade decoupling.These trade shifts reflect broader geopolitical and technological trends, as countries recalibrate supply chains in light of AI and robotics-driven industrial policy. China continues to deepen trade ties with emerging markets and focus on strategic exports essential to global electrification and automation, including rare earth elements and high-tech components.
The word is SURGED.
