China’s April exports defy tariff expectations with 8% rise

China’s export growth showed resilience in April, defying expectations that the effects of the trade war with the US would begin to be felt. According to statistics released by China’s customs administration on Friday, exports increased by 8.1% year-on-year in dollar terms.

This increase was below the 12.4% growth recorded in March. However, according to data released by the customs administration on Friday, this increase was well above the 1.9% growth forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.

Imports, meanwhile, fell for the third consecutive month, contracting by 0.2% last month.

Exports to the US fell by 21% last month, while imports from the US decreased by 13.8%.

Exports to China’s largest trading partners, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, increased by 20.8% and 8.3% respectively.

The figures were released after Washington and Beijing entered a trade war.

US President Donald Trump last month implemented tariff increases of up to 145% on most products imported from China and said he would impose new tariffs even on low-value packages from the country. Beijing responded with a 125% tariff.

The two countries will begin trade talks in Geneva on Saturday. The US will be represented by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, while China’s delegation will be led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, the country’s top economic official.

This will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides since January, when Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Bessent said the trade war was “unsustainable.”