China Ends 2025 with Record $1.020 Trillion Trade Surplus Despite Tariff Challenges

China sets an all-time record. The Asian country’s exports ended the 2025 financial year with a record positive imbalance of 1.189 trillion dollars, an increase of 19.8% over the previous year. This is the first time that the Asian giant’s trade surplus exceeds one trillion dollars, despite the collapse of trade with the United States following the tensions unleashed between the two countries as a result of the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products and the retaliatory measures implemented by Beijing.

During the past fiscal year, marked by tariff tensions between the world’s two largest economies, Chinese exports totaled $3.77 trillion, 3.2% more than in 2024, while imports remained stable at around $2.58 trillion.

In the month of December alone, China’s sales abroad reached $357.78 billion, 6.6% more than in the same month of 2024, while Chinese purchases rose by 5.7% year-on-year to $243.64 billion. Thus, the December trade surplus amounted to 114.14 billion dollars.

China recorded a decrease in its exports to the United States of up to 20%

Among China’s main trading partners, over the past year the Asian giant’s exports to the United States plunged by 20% to $420.05 billion, while purchases of U.S. products totaled $139.697 billion, down 14.6%.

According to data provided by the General Administration of Customs of China, the weight of exports from the Asian giant to the United States fell last year to 11.1% of the total, compared to the 14.5% it represented in 2024.

In the case of the European Union, Chinese exports grew by 8.4% in 2025, to 559.949 billion dollars, but imports from the EU-27 fell by 0.4%, to 268.169 billion dollars.