Japanese Media: China's Exports Remain Strong in April Despite Instability in the Middle East

According to a May 9 report by Japanese media outlet Sankei News, China's trade statistics (in USD) for April showed a year-on-year export increase of 14.1%, reaching $359.4 billion (approximately 5.6 trillion JPY). This marks six consecutive months of positive growth, with the growth rate expanding from 2.5% in March.

Even as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, strong performance in integrated circuits (ICs) and other products has driven robust growth, fueled by global active investment in artificial intelligence (AI).

Imports rose by 25.3% to reach $274.6 billion. The trade surplus (export minus import) amounted to $84.8 billion, up from $51.1 billion in March.

From January to April, exports increased by 14.5% year-on-year, while imports grew by 23.6%. During the same period, exports to the United States decreased by 10.2%, and imports from the U.S. fell by 10.9%, resulting in a trade surplus with the U.S. of $87.6 billion.

U.S. President Trump is scheduled to visit China on the 14th and 15th, during which he may address the issue of U.S.-China trade imbalance.

Both exports and imports to the European Union (EU) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries achieved double-digit growth. In response to escalating trade friction with the United States, China has been actively promoting diversification of its trade destinations.

Exports to Japan increased by 6.2%, while imports from Japan rose by 27.5%. China has strengthened export restrictions on Japan in response to Sanae Kato’s remarks in November last year regarding Taiwan’s emergency status in the Diet. Although reports suggest that approvals for rare earth exports to Japan have become lengthy, overall trade volumes have not significantly declined so far. Japanese companies are closely monitoring trends for future implications.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864711159057545/

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