China's trade surplus rises as high-tech shipments surge

8th Sep 2026 09:07

(Sharecast News) - Strong demand for Chinese chips, tech products and cars saw the country's trade surplus widen in August, with shipments to the US rising by over a third compared with last year.

The trade surplus with the rest of the world increased to $119.09bn last month, compared with $112.34bn in July and $101.01bn the year before, the National Bureau Statistics of China reported on Tuesday.

The figure was more or less in line with economists' projections, and marked the second-highest trade surplus since the start of 2025.

Exports were up 25% in dollar terms compared with August 2025, up from 23.9% in July, with shipments of high-tech products now 42.9% higher over the year to date. Within those, semiconductor exports more than doubled, while car shipments surged over 50%.

Exports to the US alone were up 34.4% year-on-year, pushing China's trade surplus with the country to $29.18bn from $28.03bn in July.

Total imports into China, meanwhile, were 28.2% higher than last year, up from 27.5% growth in July.