- China's exports to ASEAN rose 14% and shipments to the EU increased 9% in 2025
- Machinery, chips and electric vehicles fuel further growth in 2026
China sold more goods to the world despite a sharp drop in exports to the US last year, as stronger demand from Southeast Asia and Europe more than made up for lost American sales.
The growth came against the backdrop of a trade conflict that escalated in 2018, when President Donald Trump's first administration imposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods, citing concerns over intellectual property and pressure on American companies to transfer technology.
The dispute intensified in April 2025 as both countries announced successive tariff increases.
Talks in Geneva the following month brought a temporary easing, with both sides agreeing to remove some additional duties and suspend others for an initial 90 days. The agreement did not eliminate all tariffs between them.
Tariffs are taxes paid by businesses importing goods. They can make Chinese products more expensive for American buyers, putting pressure on exporters to cut prices or find customers elsewhere.
China's exports to the US fell 19.5% in 2025, reaching approximately 3.01 trillion yuan ($420 billion). Yet its total exports rose 6.1% to around $3.77 trillion, according to customs figures.
The contrast shows how stronger sales elsewhere helped China absorb the decline in one of its biggest markets.
Southeast Asia and Europe fill the gap
Two markets provided a particularly important cushion: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union.
Chinese exports to ASEAN rose 14% to approximately $665 billion in 2025, while shipments to the EU increased 9% to about $560 billion.
Calculations using rounded customs figures show that China gained about $128 billion in additional sales to those two markets, compared with roughly $102 billion in lost sales to the US.
In other words, the gains in Southeast Asia and Europe were about a quarter larger than the American shortfall.
ASEAN accounted for approximately $82 billion of the additional sales, while the EU contributed about $46 billion.
The figures do not mean the same goods once intended for American buyers were shipped elsewhere. They show that, across China's export sector, stronger sales in other markets outweighed the US decline.
Together, ASEAN and the EU bought around $1.23 trillion in Chinese goods last year, nearly three times the amount purchased by the US.
The two markets accounted for roughly one-third of China's exports, compared with about one-ninth for the American market.
China's trading relationships also extend well beyond those destinations.
Total trade with Africa rose 18.4% in 2025, while trade with Latin America increased 6.5%. These figures include both exports and imports.
China recorded growth in trade with more than 190 countries and regions during the year, according to the General Administration of Customs.
Trade with Belt and Road partner countries increased 6.3% to approximately $3.3 trillion, accounting for just over half of China's total goods trade.
These groups overlap, so their contributions cannot simply be added together. But the figures show the breadth of China's trading network and why falling sales in one market do not necessarily lead to lower exports overall.
Chips and electric vehicles drive further growth
China's export growth continued in 2026, supported by machinery, electronics and products such as electric vehicles and batteries.
Exports rose 16.4% in the first nine months, reaching approximately $3.45 trillion when converted using the government's published trade totals.
Mechanical and electrical products accounted for almost two-thirds of exports. Sales of those products grew 23.7%, faster than exports overall, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Chip exports nearly doubled, rising 99.1%. Electric vehicle exports increased 72.3%, while lithium battery exports grew 36.4%.
Equipment manufacturing accounted for nearly 90% of the increase in exports, customs figures showed.
More than half of exports were parts, materials and other goods used to make products abroad, highlighting China's role as a supplier to overseas factories as well as consumers.
The increases measure sales value, so they can reflect changes in prices as well as the number of products shipped. Strong national figures also do not mean every exporter benefited equally.
The latest data show that overall trade with the US has begun growing again alongside continued expansion elsewhere.
China's trade with ASEAN rose 22.7% to approximately $1.02 trillion in the first nine months of 2026. Trade with the EU increased 8.4% to around $711 billion, while trade with the US rose 4.1% to approximately $473 billion.
Those totals include imports and exports, so they do not show how exports alone changed.
The American market remains important, and finding more customers elsewhere does not mean Chinese businesses have stopped relying on US buyers.
But China's recent performance shows that its export growth has several sources.
Southeast Asia and Europe helped cover last year's American losses, while chips, machinery and electric vehicles are supporting further expansion.
