China Balance of Trade

Last Release

Mar 31, 2024

Actual

58.55

Units In

USD HML

125.16

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

May 09, 2024

Time to Release

24 Days 2 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
125.16 Feb 2024	-61.99 Feb 2020	15.53 USD HML	1981-2024	General Administration of Customs

Since 1995, China has been recording consistent trade surpluses which from 2004 to 2009 has increased 10 times. In 2019, China posted a trade surplus of USD 421.9 billion, the biggest since 2016, as exports increased 0.5 percent and imports fell 2.7 percent on weak domestic demand and trade tensions with the US. The biggest trade surpluses were recorded with the US, Hong Kong, the EU - in particular the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, Spain, Italy and Belgium - India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, the UAE, Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia. The largest deficits were recorded with Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia, Oman, Chile and Russia.

Latest Updates

China's trade surplus declined to USD 58.55 billion in March 2024 from USD 78.43 billion in the same period a year earlier, far below market forecasts of USD 70.2 billion, as exports dropped more than imports. Exports shrank by 7.5%, compared to expectations of a 3% fall, while imports unexpectedly fell by 1.9%, missing market expectations of a 1.2% rise. The trade surplus with the United States was at USD 22.94 billion. For the first three months of the year, the country posted a surplus of USD 183.71 billion, with exports rising 1.5% to USD 807.50 billion while imports grew 1.5% to USD 623.84 billion.