QINGDAO, CHINA – JANUARY 13, 2026 – The cargo ship is loading and unloading international commerce containers at Qingdao Port in Qingdao Metropolis, Shandong Province, China on January 13, 2026.
Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Pictures
China’s exports development in December sharply beat expectations, catapulting the annual commerce surplus to a report excessive, at the same time as imports rose at their quickest tempo in three months.
Exports surged 6.6% in U.S. greenback phrases final month from a yr earlier, Chinese language customs information confirmed Wednesday, topping analysts’ median estimate for a 3% development and accelerating from a 5.9% bounce in November.
Imports rose 5.7% in December from a yr earlier, topping expectations for a 0.9% development — strongest since September final yr once they rose 7.4%, in response to LSEG information.
China’s exports for the complete yr grew 5.5% in comparison with 2024 whereas imports stayed flat, taking Beijing’s commerce surplus to $1.19 trillion.
Commerce tensions with the U.S. have led to double-digit declines in Chinese language cargo to the nation for many a part of final yr.
As Chinese language exporters have ramped up shipments to non-U.S. markets, the rising commerce imbalance has prompted considerations from main buying and selling companions, together with the European Union.
Worldwide Financial Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in a December press convention urged Beijing to shift away from counting on exports for development and speed up its push to spice up home consumption.
Chinese language officers had pledged to increase imports and work towards balancing commerce.
Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Administration, expects Beijing to maintain the macro coverage stance unchanged at the very least within the first quarter, as robust export development helps mitigate tender home demand and commerce tensions with the U.S. have eased.
China and U.S. in October agreed to roll again a sequence of export-control measures and better tariffs in a 1-year commerce truce, following a gathering between Chinese language President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump.
Whereas general exports noticed strong development in 2025, commerce tensions with the U.S. had led to double-digit declines in Chinese language cargo to the nation for many a part of final yr.
China is ready to launch subsequent Monday its annual and fourth-quarter gross home product information. Economists polled by Reuters anticipated the world’s second largest financial system to have expanded 4.5% within the closing quarter. Beijing had set it development goal for 2025 at round 5%.
The almost $19 trillion financial system has struggled to shake off deflationary strain as a deepening actual property collapse has weighed on family demand and a weak job market has clouded client confidence. Client costs within the nation stayed flat in 2025, lacking the official goal of round 2% improve.
That is breaking information. Please refresh for updates.
