China's trade surplus hits historic $1 trillion despite Trump tariffs

Despite the tariffs imposed by the United States President Donald Trump on Chinese exports, the East Asian country’s economy appears largely unfazed.

China’s trade surplus has surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in history, according to the data released by China’s General Administration of Customs, on Monday, December 8, 2025.

The decreasing exports to the U.S. (28.6 percent) were “generously” compensated by shipments to other markets. The country’s exports increased by 5.9 percent year-on-year in November, reaching $1.08 trillion for the first 11 months of the year.

According to Zichun Huang of Capital Economics, “The exports to the U.S. were offset by shipments to other markets.”

He added that China's trade surplus is expected to widen further next year despite the bitter trade war with the United States.

Several European countries have warned to take action if the imbalance is not addressed including the French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently visited China.

In an interview, Macron said Europe could also impose tariffs like the U.S. on Chinese exports if the imbalance was not addressed in the coming months.

Huang said the strong price competitiveness of Chinese goods would likely keep the exports resilient despite external pressure.