China posted a record trade surplus for the combined January–February period, as export growth far exceeded expectations, highlighting the continued strength of the world’s second-largest economy even amid ongoing trade frictions with the United States.
Because the timing of the Lunar New Year shifts each year and can distort monthly comparisons, China usually reports trade data for January and February together.
During this period, the country’s trade surplus jumped to $213.62 billion.
Exports grew 21.8% year over year across the first two months of the year.
Imports also expanded faster than expected, rising 19.8% compared with a year earlier, according to customs figures released on Wednesday.
The data also revealed shifts in China’s major trading partners. Trade with the United States declined 16.9% to 609.71 billion yuan ($88.22 billion) compared with the same period last year, whereas trade with the European Union increased 19.9% to 998.94 billion yuan.