China diverting exports but eager to avert trade war threat in first meeting since Trump unveiled punishing levies.<\/p>\n
China reported that its exports rose more than expected in April as it prepares for weekend talks<\/a> over tariffs with the United States.<\/p>\n Outbound shipments from the world\u2019s second-largest economy registered a year-on-year rise of 8.1 percent last month, according to government data published on Friday. The result was substantially higher than the 2 percent predicted by economists amid the trade war<\/a> with the US started by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The rise in overall exports in April came despite a 21 percent drop in sales to the US, after Trump announced a general tariff of 145 percent on Chinese goods.<\/p>\n China appears to have succeeded in efforts to pivot to other markets, said analysts.<\/p>\n \u201cReports of the death of China\u2019s exports look to be greatly exaggerated,\u201d said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING. \u201cHowever you slice it, the data looks better than most market participants expected.\u201d<\/p>\n The figures may also have been buoyed by demand for materials from overseas manufacturers rushing out goods during a 90-day pause on the US tariffs.<\/p>\n Economist Zichun Huang, of Capital Economics, warned that China\u2019s export growth could \u201cturn negative\u201d later this year, with exports to the US set for \u201cfurther declines\u201d over the coming months, \u201cnot all of which will be offset by increased trade with other countries\u201d.<\/p>\n Risk of isolation<\/p>\n The data was released a day before China\u2019s trade envoy He Lifeng is due to sit down with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the Swiss capital Geneva.<\/p>\n