China's exports, imports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms

China's exports regained some momentum in June while imports rebounded, customs data showed on Monday (July 14), as exporters rushed out shipments to capitalise on a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington ahead of a looming August deadline.

AI Brief

China's exports rose 5.8% year-on-year in June, outperforming expectations amid temporary tariff relief.
A fragile US-China tariff truce in May helped stabilize trade, encouraging exporters to act before a possible August setback.
In the first half of 2025, Chinas exports grew 7.2%, while imports dropped 2.7%, reflecting cautious global demand.

Customs data on Monday showed outbound shipments from China rose 5.8% year-on-year in June, beating a forecast 5.0% increase in a Reuters poll of economists and May's 4.8% growth.

Trade ties appeared to have stabilised in June after U.S. and Chinese negotiators agreed to revive a fragile truce reached during talks in Geneva in May. The agreement had been strained before the talks by a series of export controls that disrupted global supply chains for key industries.

Businesses on both sides of the Pacific are waiting to see whether the world's two largest economies can agree on a more durable deal or if global supply chains will again be upended by the reimposition of duties exceeding 100%.

For the first half of 2025, China's yuan-denominated exports rose 7.2% year-on-year, while imports was down 2.7%, customs data showed.