China Exports Surge, Trade Surplus Widens to $133.5 Billion

China’s exports surged 36.3% in September from a year earlier, the customs agency said on Wednesday, as pressure mounts from trading partners including the European Union to rebalance trade.

Imports rose 31%, accelerating from 28.2% in August. Both figures beat forecasts in a Reuters poll of 25.5% for exports and 24.5% for imports. The monthly trade surplus widened to $133.5 billion from $119.1 billion in August.

Exports in dollar terms reached $447.18 billion and imports $313.65 billion, according to customs data. Shipments to the United States grew by nearly 39.6%. Integrated circuit exports rose 136% to $44.95 billion, while car exports were up 62% in value to $20.75 billion.

China Exports

For the first nine months of the year, China’s trade surplus reached $938 billion, putting it on track to exceed last year’s record of $1.2 trillion, The Associated Press reported. The EU has been struggling with a trade deficit with China exceeding $1.1 billion a day, and EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said after a visit to Beijing that a deal had been reached that includes halving Chinese hybrid car imports into the bloc over the next few years.

Customs deputy head Wang Jun acknowledged that external uncertainties, including geopolitical conflicts, could weigh on trade in the fourth quarter.

Sources: CNBC; The Associated Press via ABC News and WPXI; Shanghai Metals Market.

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