China’s imports and exports surged in August, official data showed on Tuesday, helped by a global AI buildout that has fuelled demand for the country’s technology products.
Exports spiked 25% year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said, accelerating slightly from July’s growth of 23.9%.
The increase fell just short of a Bloomberg forecast of 25.9%.
Imports swelled 28.2% year-on-year, which was faster than July’s 27.5% but short of Bloomberg’s forecast of 31.0%.
After achieving a historic trade surplus in 2025, China’s trade has continued to boom this year, due largely to heightened overseas demand for semiconductors, computing hardware and other products linked to the artificial intelligence boom.
In January through August, the value of China’s exports of computers and related parts surged 49.4%, the GAC data showed.
Shipments to the United States climbed 34.4% year-on-year last month, compared with the 17% increase seen in July.
The latest figures come before an expected high-stakes summit in Washington this month between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
