China import growth forecast rises to 5% in 2026 amid AI chip demand

10 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Apr 27

Seventeen economists polled by Bloomberg now expect China's imports to reach a five-year high, more than doubling March’s previous forecast.
This surge is driven by Chinese companies’ increasing purchases of high-end chips for artificial intelligence, marking the first time since 2021 that import growth is set to outpace exports.
The revised outlook follows four years of stagnation and decline, and is expected to keep China’s trade balance from expanding much beyond last year’s record level.

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