Containers at the Longtan port in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, on Jan. 14, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
China’s trade surplus hit a record of nearly $1.2 trillion in 2025, as Chinese factories diverted an influx of goods facing levies in the United States to other global markets amid weak demand within the country.
Total exports from the Asian economic giant expanded by 6.6 percent year over year in December 2025 in dollar-denominated terms, according to data released on Jan. 14 from China’s General Administration of Customs. The surge was the fastest growth in three months and nearly doubled the 3 percent increase forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.
