Chinese exports registered an increase last month despite the trade war with the United States, according to what official data showed on Friday, before talks aimed at reducing the crisis between the two largest economies in the world.
Experts said that the annual increase in exports of 8.1% last April exceeded expectations and indicates that Beijing is redirecting the path of its trade to Southeast Asia to alleviate the impact of American customs duties of up to 145% on the goods imported from China imposed by President Donald Trump.
The annual increase in exports was much higher than the expectations of analysts whose views surveyed their opinions last month and reached 2%.
Vietnam is an outlet for Chinese goods
The Chinese Customs Office data showed that exports to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam increased at double numbers, in what one analyst described as “structurally repositioning” trade.
“Global supply chains are actually re -directed in real time,” said Stephen Enens of the SBI Asset Management in a memorandum.
He added that “Vietnam appears on her way to become an external outlet for China to export commodities directed towards the American market.”
He explained that “the Chinese industrial giant re -directs production flows towards areas where the repercussions of customs tariffs are not affected.”
Low exports to America
Official data showed that China’s exports to the United States fell by 17.6% last month compared to the previous month, and the total value of Chinese exports to the United States reached 33 billion dollars last April compared to $ 40.1 billion in March 2025, according to the data of the General Administration of Chinese Customs.
Trade between the two largest economies in the world decreased since Trump imposed customs tariffs – and some cumulative fees reached 245% – while China responded by imposing fees of 125% in addition to other measures.
Chinese imports decline
Imports were also monitored as a major measure of consumer demand in China, which remained slow.
The imports in turn exceeded expectations, as they decreased by 0.2% compared to a decrease of 6%, which analysts expected.
And decision -makers in China announced this week to alleviate the main monetary policy tools in order to stimulate local activity.
These measures included reducing the main interest rates and measures aimed at reducing the amount that banks must keep as a reserve in an effort to enhance lending.
Oil imports slowed down
China’s imports of crude oil slowed last April on a monthly basis, but it jumped 7.5% on an annual basis with an abundant support in the sanctions charges and with government refining companies collecting stocks amid maintenance closures.
The General Administration of Customs stated that imports of the largest buyer in the world amounted to 48.06 million tons last month, equivalent to 11.69 million barrels per day.
This is less than 12.1 million barrels per day that China imported in March, but is higher than April 2024 imports, which amounted to 10.88 million barrels per day.
Forta Analytix estimates concluded that Iranian oil imports, which recorded an unprecedented level in March, most of which are passed as Malaysian oil, remained high at about 1.5 million barrels per day. Iranian oil imports include raw and condensate.
Forta said that China also imported an unprecedented amount of Russian North Pole oil, amounting to about 280,000 barrels per day last April, which instead of declining Iranian supplies.
“The pace of accumulation of crude oil stocks in China’s land warehouses has accelerated significantly in April. The average accumulation rate exceeded 1.1 million barrels per day in the five weeks ending on May 4,” Forta said in the memo of this week.
In the first four months of the year as a whole, imports amounted to 183.03 million tons or 11.13 million barrels per day, an increase of 0.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the data collected by Reuters.
