China's imports and exports surged in August, helped by a global AI buildout that has fueled demand for technology products and ahead of an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump.After achieving a historic surplus in 2025, China's trade has continued to grow this year, thanks largely to heightened overseas demand for semiconductors, computing hardware and other products linked to the artificial intelligence boom.
Exports spiked 25 percent year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs said, accelerating from July's 23.9 percent growth, though the increase was just short of the 25.9 percent forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Imports swelled 28.2 percent, which was faster than July's 27.5 percent but less than the 31.0 percent estimated in the Bloomberg survey.
"China's trade growth remained robust in August, with both exports and imports continuing to grow at a rapid pace," wrote Nguyen Hoang Nam, a China economist at Capital Economics.
Still, momentum in imports weakened in seasonally adjusted terms, wrote Nguyen, reflecting "still-subdued domestic demand".
