China's total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms rose to 21.79 trillion yuan in the first half of 2025, up 2.9 percent year on year, official data.
The growth rate accelerated from a rise of 2.5 percent registered in the first five months of the year, according to the General Administration of Customs on Monday.
Exports rose 7.2 percent in the first six months while imports fell 2.7 percent.
For June, China's export growth picked up pace, expanding 5.8 percent from the previous year by value, while imports rose 1.1 percent, as uncertainty over US tariff policy remained a major headwind for the world's second-biggest economy.
A Reuters poll of economists had forecast 5 percent growth in exports and a 1.3 percent rise in imports. Those compared with a 4.8 percent expansion and a 3.4 percent contraction for exports and imports, respectively, in May.
Trade tensions between China and the United States have kept financial markets on edge in recent months with investors looking for signs the two economic superpowers can agree to turn a tariff truce into a more enduring deal. (Xinhua/Reuters)