Reference News Network, February 21 report: Spain's "El País" website published an article on February 18 stating, "China has bypassed Trump's tariff wall."
The article points out that just as water can uncontrollably break through all obstacles, Chinese export goods, after colliding with the tariff barriers set by the Trump administration in the United States, quickly spread around the world. The European Central Bank (ECB) released a study on the 18th showing that China's exports grew by 5.5% globally in 2025. Due to trade restrictions, the distribution pattern of export goods has changed significantly: although exports to the world's largest economy, the United States, have dropped by 20%, they have seen growth in other parts of the world, with exports to Africa rising by 26%, to ASEAN by 13%, to the Eurozone by 8%, and to Latin America by 7%.
The ECB concluded in its report that "China's export performance was surprising, with widespread growth outside the United States." ECB analysts are closely watching the significant growth in China's exports to ASEAN countries, with imports from China increasing by $94 billion in 2025, becoming the region with the largest absolute increase. This growth is almost equivalent in scale to the decline in the US market.
European Central Bank experts believe that the trend of reduced exports to the U.S. and increased exports to other parts of the world cannot be entirely attributed to tariffs. Experts believe other factors such as political uncertainty, declining demand, and a slight appreciation of the Chinese yuan against the U.S. dollar also played a role, so tariffs are not the only reason.
They believe there is no conclusive evidence that tariffs were the decisive factor, as other factors were also at play. The ECB added: "The increased integration of Asian supply chains also helped promote exports." (Translated by Wang Meng)
On January 18, at Yantai Port in Shandong Province, domestic cars were being unloaded from a vehicle train and driven to the wharf for consolidation, waiting to be loaded for export (photo taken by drone). (Xinhua News Agency)
Original source: toutiao.com/article/7609271693760070180/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.