15 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 9
Exports rose 14.1% year on year to US$359.44 billion, beating a 6.96% forecast, while imports jumped 25.3% to US$274.62 billion and the surplus widened to US$84.82 billion.
The strong trade data came despite the Strait of Hormuz crisis and wider Middle East conflict, with economist Zhang Zhiwei saying China's competitive supply chains helped cushion export growth.
Zhang said exports could keep growing at double-digit rates, reducing pressure for policy changes, while recent green shoots in China's property sector also suggested some domestic improvement.
Is China’s record export growth a sign of strength or a symptom of a struggling domestic market?
With a US-China summit looming, how will this trade surge affect talks already strained by the Iran war?
Is China's voracious appetite for AI chips creating a new and critical economic dependency?