China Posts Record Trade Surplus as Exports Rebound

Exports to the United States, however, remained negative, falling by 16.1 percent from a year earlier in June.

Cars for export waiting to be loaded onto a ship at a port in Yantai, in Shandong Province, China, on June 29, 2025. STR/AFP via Getty Images

China announced on July 14 that its trade surplus reached $586 billion in the first half of this year, as exports regained momentum in June following the de-escalation of trade tensions with the United States.

Outbound shipments climbed by 5.8 percent from a year earlier in June, up from May’s 4.8 percent increase, according to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs. The result beat the 5 percent growth expected by economists in a Reuters poll.