China’s exports to the U.S. expanded 34.4 percent in dollar terms in August to $42.5 billion, the sourcing superpower’s customs data agency said Tuesday.
The massive jump follows a lower base in August 2025, when China’s U.S.-bound goods plummeted 33.1 percent to $31.6 billion as tariffs briefly sank trade between the countries, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs.
The August numbers mirrored May’s 35.4 percent year-over-year surge, in which the country exported approximately $39 billion worth of Chinese goods to the U.S. The percentage doubled from July’s 17.1 percent export growth to the U.S., which came in at roughly $41.9 billion.
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August marks the fifth month in a row that China-to-U.S. shipments have increased due both easier comparisons to last year, along with a more reasonable tariff environment for buyers and suppliers when compared to 2025.
The export boom also comes ahead of an expected meeting in late September between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Washington, where the two heads of state are anticipated to dedicate much of the conversation to U.S.-China trade relations.
Although the IEEPA tariffs that initially hampered U.S.-China trade throughout 2025 were ruled illegal earlier this year by the Supreme Court, the relationship between the trading partners amid the rebound still revolves around Trump’s levies.
On July 24, the U.S. imposed a new 12.5 percent tariff on Chinese outbound goods after a temporary 10 percent duty expired. The most recent tariff was launched as part of a broader global campaign targeting trading partners Washington says have failed to restrict forced labor.
China’s total export growth across global trade partners continues to accelerate, helping the country widen its overall trade surplus. Outbound shipments rose 25 percent from a year earlier in August reaching $401.4 billion, according to China’s customs data. The export increase represents an uptick from 23.9 percent growth seen in July.
For August, China’s trade surplus sat at $119.1 billion, further increasing from $112.5 billion in July. In the first eight months of the year, the world’s second-largest economy recorded a trade surplus of $805.5 billion, putting it on track to match last year’s record surplus of $1.2 trillion.
Much of the export boom has been attributed the ongoing demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, with semiconductor exports out of the country skyrocketing by 129.8 percent to $40.7 billion. Computers and data processing equipment jumped 76.5 percent to $30.4 billion.
The semiconductor exports expanded largely due to escalating prices, as volumes reportedly declined 7.9 percent, according to a research note from Nguyen Hoang Nam, a China economist at Capital Economics.
Apparel, textile and fabric exports remain big business for China even amid some diversification efforts by trading partners, combining for $28.6 billion. But their growth numbers suggest some slowness compared to the more lucrative AI-related fields.
Apparel exports increased 12.3 percent to $15.9 billion in August, while textiles, yarn and fabrics inched up 2.4 percent to $12.7 billion. Roughly $3.7 billion in footwear was exported, amounting to an 11.4 percent expansion.
Exports out of China are seeing broad-based strength across Asian markets, with the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Korea and Hong Kong seeing strong growth.
Hong Kong had the biggest escalation of all Chinese trading partners, with exports to the special administrative region soaring 63.7 percent to $44.5 billion. Malaysia had the second-largest jump across all markets, with outbound shipments increasing 59 percent to $13.8 billion. South Korea came in third with a 49.3 percent leap to $18 billion.
ASEAN countries Vietnam and Thailand saw similar growth to the U.S., respectively reeling in 32.9 percent and 33.3 percent more goods from China than last August. Vietnam imported $23.4 billion in monthly shipments, the highest among the ASEAN bloc, while Thailand brought in $11.3 billion.
Across the ASEAN contingency and Hong Kong, all of which serve as transshipment and re-export hubs, a chunk of the growth could reflect goods ultimately destined elsewhere.
The slowest export growth for China came from Europe, with the EU seeing a 6.6 percent increase in merchandise from China. However, the $55.1 billion in value of total goods exported remains the second-highest of any bloc after ASEAN’s $74.4 billion.
China also exported $31.5 billion in goods to Latin American countries, a 17.5 percent annual jump, and shipped out $14.6 billion to India, representing a 16.9 percent increase.
