Beijing (AFP) – China published trade figures on Tuesday that recorded a strong year-on-year increase in October thanks to an export sector that remains extremely dynamic, with a trade surplus that exceeded $1 trillion in the first ten months of the year alone.

First modification: 10/11/2026 - 13:39

Exports from the world's second-largest economy have soared recently, driven in part by growing global demand for artificial intelligence-related products such as computer chips, data center servers and networking equipment.

This trade boom has given Beijing an important economic lifeline, as domestic activity has been weighed down by long-standing problems in its once prosperous real estate sector.

Exports rose 35.2% to $412.3 billion last month, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Imports in October increased 41.6% year-on-year to reach $307.1 billion, according to the same data.

This raised China's total trade surplus during the first 10 months to an astronomical figure of 1.04 trillion dollars, customs said.

The Asian giant is currently on track to surpass its record 2025 trade surplus, which hit the $1 trillion mark a month later in November.

The export boom has stoked tensions with several key trading partners, who worry that the flood of low-cost Chinese goods is crowding out local competition.

China's exports to the United States also soared 32.9% year-on-year in October, official data showed on Tuesday.

The latest figures come ahead of another high-stakes meeting between the leaders of these rival economies at an Asia-Pacific summit in China next week.

President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, have maintained a fragile truce amid a fierce trade war since their meeting in October 2025.

© 2026 AFP

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