Official data showed a sharp rise in Chinese exports in September, putting the country on track for a record annual trade surplus and likely intensifying calls from major trading partners, including the European Union and the United States, for a rebalancing of trade.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, exports rose 36.3% year-on-year, far exceeding the 25.7% increase forecast in a Bloomberg survey.
High-tech goods, including semiconductors and cars, helped drive growth in Chinese shipments to overseas markets. Imports also rose 31% year-on-year in September, accelerating from a 28.2% increase in August.
China’s trade surplus consequently reached $133.5 billion last month, its highest monthly level since January 2025, up from $119.1 billion in August.
US leads export growth
Shipments to the United States rose 39.6% in September, following a decline last year when trade slumped sharply after Beijing and Washington imposed punitive tariffs on each other’s goods.
Shipments to the European Union increased 25.3% in September, while imports from the Union’s 27 member states remained flat, pushing China’s trade surplus with the EU to record levels.
EU officials have described the bloc’s deficit with China, which exceeds €1 billion a day, as “unsustainable” and pledged to rebalance trade relations.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, exports rose 36.3% year-on-year, far exceeding the 25.7% increase forecast in a Bloomberg survey.
High-tech goods, including semiconductors and cars, helped drive growth in Chinese shipments to overseas markets. Imports also rose 31% year-on-year in September, accelerating from a 28.2% increase in August.
China’s trade surplus consequently reached $133.5 billion last month, its highest monthly level since January 2025, up from $119.1 billion in August.
US leads export growth
Shipments to the United States rose 39.6% in September, following a decline last year when trade slumped sharply after Beijing and Washington imposed punitive tariffs on each other’s goods.
Shipments to the European Union increased 25.3% in September, while imports from the Union’s 27 member states remained flat, pushing China’s trade surplus with the EU to record levels.
EU officials have described the bloc’s deficit with China, which exceeds €1 billion a day, as “unsustainable” and pledged to rebalance trade relations.
