China’s exports and imports grow slower than expected amid tariff-trade war with US

China’s exports expanded 4.4 percent year-on-year in August, official data showed Monday, as the world’s second-largest economy navigated an uneasy trade war truce with the United States.

The increase in China’s overseas shipments last month fell below a Bloomberg forecast of 5.5 percent.

Imports similarly did not meet expectations, growing 1.3 percent year-on-year in August, compared with a forecast of 3.4 percent.

Data also showed that China’s exports to the United States, its largest trading partner, continued to fall, sinking 11.8 percent from the previous month, and down 33.1 percent on-year.

Trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies have been on a rollercoaster ride in 2025, with both countries slapping escalating tariffs on each other’s exports this year.

At one point, the tit-for-tat duties reached triple digits on both sides, snarling supply chains as many importers halted shipments to try and wait for the governments to settle matters.

Since then, Washington and Beijing have reached an agreement to de-escalate tensions, temporarily lowering tariffs to 30 percent on the United States’ side and 10 percent on China’s part.

In August, they delayed the threatened reimposition of higher tariffs on each other’s exports for another 90 days – meaning the pause on steeper duties will be in place until November 10.

That same month, Li Chenggang, China’s International Trade Representative and vice minister of commerce, led a delegation to Washington for trade talks.

He urged “equal dialogue and consultation” between the two nations during the visit, according to a statement from China’s commerce ministry.