China’s exports increased by 8.1% in April compared to the same month last year, according to the government. This is better than what experts had predicted, although exports to the United States dropped by over 20%. Experts had expected China’s total exports to grow by about 2% in April, which is much slower than the 12.4% rise seen in March.
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At the same time, China’s imports fell by 0.2% in April compared to last year. This data was released just before a meeting between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s top trade official, He Lifeng, in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting could influence talks about the trade dispute between the U.S. and China, including tariffs that President Donald Trump has placed on Chinese goods, some as high as 145%.
Although some of these tariffs might be reduced, experts think a complete reversal is unlikely. Zichun Huang from Capital Economics mentioned that exports to the U.S. are likely to keep falling in the coming months. He expects China’s overall export growth to turn negative later this year.
China’s trade surplus with the U.S. was nearly $20.5 billion in April, down from $27.2 billion a year ago. So far this year, China’s exports to the U.S. have dropped by 2.5%, and imports from the U.S. are down by 4.7%.
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However, China’s exports to other countries have been growing. Exports to Southeast Asia, Latin America, India, and Africa all saw strong increases. For example, exports to Vietnam rose by 18%, and exports to Thailand grew by 20%. This suggests that China is working to expand trade with other countries to reduce its dependence on the U.S.
In total, China’s exports in April grew by just 0.6% compared to March, while imports rose by nearly 4%.
