China's exports rose 8.1% in April from the year before, much more than economists were expecting, in the tail end of a rush by companies and consumers to beat higher U.S. tariffs that took effect last month.

Most forecasts were that exports in April would grow about 2%, down from a whopping 12.4% year-on-year increase in March.

Imports fell 0.2% in April from the year before.

China’s politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States was nearly $20.5 billion in April.

Exports to the United States form just a part of China's total exports, and trade with the rest of the world has remained resilient. Preliminary data also show that U.S. imports from other countries not subject to U.S. President Donald Trump's 145% tariff on Chinese products are rising quickly.

China’s exports to other countries and regions rose at a robust pace in the first four months of the year. Exports to Southeast Asian countries were up 11.5% from a year earlier. Exports to Latin America also climbed 11.5%. Shipments to India jumped nearly 16% by value, and exports to Africa surged 15%.

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In the first four months of the year, exports to the United States were down 2.5% from a year earlier, while imports from the U.S. fell 4.7%.

But figures for the beginning of 2025 show the tariffs and other measures related to Trump's trade war are having an impact. Measured on a monthly basis, in April China's total exports rose just 0.6% from March, while imports increased by nearly 4%.