【By Observer Net, Xiong Chaoran】In early April this year, US President Trump launched a tariff trade war, imposing exorbitant tariffs on China, which led to Chinese countermeasures, becoming the "mainstay" in resisting this tide of global trade protectionism.

Bloomberg reported on September 23 that, despite the high tariffs from the United States, China's export engine has remained unstoppable over the past five months, heading toward a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus. Especially in the case of limited access to the US market, Chinese manufacturers have shown a firm stance—India's procurement volume in August reached an all-time high, shipments to Africa are expected to break annual records, and sales to Southeast Asia have exceeded peak levels during the pandemic period.

"Due to the competitiveness of Chinese exporters, protectionism in the US and other countries has become a paper tiger," said Arthur Kroeber, Research Director at Gavekal Dragonomics: "They can absorb part of the tariff impact, and also have flexible ways such as transshipment or moving later production to low-tariff countries."

"China's performance this year has been better than expected," said Sajjid Chinoy, Chief Economist for India at JPMorgan, in an interview with Bloomberg TV: "Part of the reason is that China has cleverly found other export markets, including Europe, which played a key role in hedging when exports to the US slowed down."

In Yantai, Shandong, domestic cars are gathered at Yantai Port and exported via car carriers. Visual China

Bloomberg mentioned that China is currently the largest trading partner for more than half of the world's countries. So far, only a few countries, such as Mexico, have followed the US in openly taking measures against China, proposing plans to impose up to 50% tariffs on Chinese products including cars, auto parts, and steel.

The report states that many countries that have been stuck in tariff negotiations with the Trump administration seem unwilling to simultaneously trigger a trade conflict with the world's second-largest economy, China, giving China some buffer space when facing US tariffs.

"The relatively mild response from most other countries may be influenced by ongoing US negotiations," said Christopher Beddor, Deputy Head of Gavekal Dragonomics' China Research Department: "Some countries do not want to be seen as pushing the global trade system, and some may have reservations about tariffs to use them as a concession in negotiations with the US."

Therefore, what people see is that the South African Trade Minister suggested not imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese cars but instead seeking more investment; Chile and Ecuador quietly imposed "targeted fees" on Chinese low-cost imports; and although Brazil once wanted to take more aggressive measures, it still provided BYD, China's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, a tariff-free window period this summer to expand local production capacity.

On the other hand, China is also using diplomatic channels to clearly state its position on tariff trade issues. Earlier this month, China called for joint resistance against protectionism at the online summit of BRICS leaders; meanwhile, on September 12, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of China warned Mexico that China does not want to see their economic and trade cooperation affected, hoping that Mexico would be cautious and think carefully before acting. China will take necessary measures according to the actual situation, and firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Bloomberg's report cited examples, stating that over a period of time, although the increase in exports to Vietnam indicates that some goods originally destined for the US and other regions are being rerouted to bypass Trump's tariff barriers, this is only part of the reason. The demand for China's leading high-tech products has driven recent export flows, and the rise in sales in wealthy markets such as Europe and Australia also shows that China has found new buyers.

India's example demonstrates how Trump's disruption of the global trade structure has actually brought new opportunities for China. Last month, China's exports to India reached a record $12.5 billion, mainly because Apple's suppliers accelerated the transfer of iPhone production from China to India, but these companies still mainly rely on components and molds produced in China.

Data released by China show that in July this year, Chinese companies exported nearly $1 billion worth of chips to India, as well as billions of dollars worth of mobile phones and accessories. This makes the export volume expected to exceed last year's record, and the total exports so far are almost equivalent to the full-year exports of 2021.

The depreciation of the RMB — the RMB has depreciated along with the dollar against the euro and other currencies — has also brought another advantage to China. Macquarie Bank previously estimated that the real effective exchange rate of the RMB (which reflects inflation differences between a country and its main trading partners) is at its lowest level since December 2011. The Fed's interest rate cut this month may further drive down the dollar and the RMB, thereby boosting global demand and enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese exports.

Therefore, while Trump has caused widespread suffering in global trade, despite the US and Canada using punitive tariffs and various bans to suppress Chinese electric vehicle exports, Chinese electric vehicle exports continue to grow strongly.

In the first seven months of this year, the total value of electric vehicles exported by Chinese automakers such as BYD, NIO, and XPeng exceeded $19 billion, matching the same period last year. Even though the EU had already imposed tariffs on China in October last year, it remains the largest market.

Adam Wolfe of Absolute Strategy Research believes that China is in a more favorable position than many countries in finding markets outside the US. His analysis shows that the overlap between China's exports to the US and its exports to BRICS countries is close to 50%, meaning that a large amount of products no longer purchased by the US can be redirected to other markets.

"China has demonstrated the ability to enter other markets and gain market share, and this trend is likely to continue," said Wolfe: "I believe that China's exports will not contract for the rest of the year."

Chengdu Canopus Robot Technology Co., Ltd., the strong competitiveness of Chinese robot exports. Photo

According to information from the State Council Information Office, on the morning of July 14, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on the import and export situation in the first half of 2025. Wang Lingjun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs, and Lü Daliang, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs and head of the Statistical Analysis Department, introduced the import and export situation in the first half of 2025 and answered questions from reporters.

Wang Lingjun introduced that according to customs statistics, in the first half of this year, China's goods trade imports and exports amounted to 21.79 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.9% year-on-year. Among them, exports were 13 trillion yuan, an increase of 7.2%; imports were 8.79 trillion yuan, a decrease of 2.7%.

Wang Lingjun pointed out that overall, China's foreign trade has continued to move forward under pressure, with stable growth in scale and improved quality. The achievements are not easy to achieve. The fundamental reason for achieving these results lies in the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, as well as the efforts of local governments and departments, and the adaptability and innovation of the vast number of foreign trade enterprises and practitioners. However, we should also see that the rise of unilateralism and protectionism globally, as well as the complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the external environment, mean that China's foreign trade needs to make great efforts to maintain growth in the second half of the year.

Previously, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that the US's arbitrary imposition of tariffs seriously infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, violates World Trade Organization rules, undermines the stability of the multilateral trade system based on rules, and severely impacts the global economic order. It is a typical example of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying, which has been widely opposed by the international community. China strongly condemns and resolutely opposes this.

Lin Jian emphasized that there are no winners in a trade war or a tariff war, and protectionism has no way out. The Chinese people do not provoke trouble, nor do they fear it. Pressure, threats, and extortion are not the correct way to deal with China. China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. If the US disregards the interests of both countries and the international community and insists on launching a tariff war and a trade war, China will definitely respond accordingly.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

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