Official figures on Tuesday showed that the nation's trade has surged by a fifth in the first two months of the year, significantly outpacing forecasts.

The data – usually combined to account for distortions arising from the varying Chinese New Year holiday – showed a strong start to 2026.

Exports in the period climbed 21.8 percent year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs said. It beats the 7.1 percent predicted by a survey conducted by Reuters.

Imports also soared 19.8 percent.

US President ⁠Donald Trump's renewed 2025 tariff ⁠war barely dented China’s industrial momentum, with manufacturers redirecting their exports to Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America to blunt the impact of ⁠losing US demand.

Trump is expected to visit Beijing later this month for a highly anticipated leaders' summit. (AFP/Reuters)



Edited by Altis Wong