China's Foreign Trade Sounding Alarm Ahead of Trump's Tariff Announcement

As Donald Trump's return to the White House brings new trade risks, China's exports in November grew at a slower pace compared to the previous month, while imports unexpectedly contracted. This situation paints a concerning picture for the world's second-largest economy. President-elect Trump had promised to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods, raising questions about the potential impact on the Chinese economy.

Trump's tariff threat and economic uncertainties According to customs data, China's exports rose by 6.7% year-on-year last month, falling short of economists' expectations of 8.5%. In the previous month, October, the export growth was 12.7%. Meanwhile, imports experienced a year-on-year contraction of 3.9%. Economists had anticipated a 0.3% increase, while imports had dropped by 2.3% in October.

In this context, China's trade surplus increased to $97.44 billion in November. This figure exceeded economists' expectations of a $95 billion trade surplus and was also higher than the $95.72 billion trade surplus recorded in October.

While China's foreign trade balance registered a surplus above expectations, the contraction in imports and slowing export growth signal potential challenges for the country's economy.