BEIJING: China's exports surged more than expected last month, official data showed Tuesday, providing a much-needed boost to the world's number two economy despite global disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.
Overseas shipments rose 27% year-on-year, beating the 19% forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
The figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) also showed imports soared 36.0%, easily outstripping the 26.1% estimated in the Bloomberg survey, and well up from the 27.4% jump seen in May.
Shipments to the United States rose 13.9% to $43.5 billion last month, putting China's trade surplus with its superpower rival at $28.9 billion.
Ties between Washington and Beijing have stabilized since Donald Trump visited Beijing in May, but the persistent trade imbalance remains a source of friction between the two giant economies.
China is also locked in a simmering trade feud with the European Union, with which it recorded a trade surplus of $32.9 billion in June, a rise from $30.7 billion in May.
June's trade data "showcases the competitiveness and resilience of China's manufacturing sector," Zhang Zhiwei of Pinpoint Asset Management wrote in a note.
"It also puts further pressure on the trade tension between China and its trading partners, Europe in particular," he said.
China's overall trade surplus hit $126 billion last month, up from $105 billion in May, a gap that is worrying European economies and other governments.
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