Chinese exports surge, beating forecasts
By Abigail Townsend
Date: Tuesday 09 Jun 2026
(Sharecast News) - Chinese exports surged in May, official data showed on Tuesday, boosted by bumper demand for artificial intelligence and a sharp rebound in sales to the US.
According to the country's General Administration of Customs, exports grew by 19.4%, up notably on April's 14.1% rise and comfortably ahead of consensus for 15% growth.
Driving the growth were exports to the US, which spiked 35.4%, the highest level since 2021. Trade relations between the two countries have improved in recent months, culminating with US president Donald Trump visiting China in May. However, the data also benefited from comparatives. In May 2025, the trade war was at its peak, with additional tariffs on China as high as 125%. Year-to-date exports to the US currently stand at -2.7% year-on-year.
Exports to South Korea were especially strong, up 42.1%, boosted by solid demand for tech products, while among individual products, semiconductors soared 110.9% and automatic data processing machines by 66%.
Imports similarly benefited from strong demand in the tech sector. They jumped 27.4% - also ahead of forecasts, for 25% - helping widen the trade surplus to $105.4bn.
China is the world's largest crude oil importer. However, import volumes fell in May, while import values rose slightly, after war in the Middle East curtailed supplies and sent prices soaring.
Lynn Song, chief economist, Greater China, at ING, said: "China's trade data beat market expectations across the board in May, with shipments to the US seeing a strong base-effect-driven bounce. External demand continues to be one of China's key growth engines this year, but higher imports could cut into the trade surplus going forward."
Alex Loo, senior Asia economist at TD Securities, said: "China is part of the AI boom. Import growth in 2026 has been largely driven by integrated circuits and technological equipment, a trend which continued in May. This development is partly attributable to rising chip prices; however, it is also likely that Chinese firms are stockpiling AI-related imports as China intensifies efforts to narrow the gap with the US in the global AI race."
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