China’s trade surges in first half of 2026, maintaining growth amid global tensions

China’s exports continued to grow robustly in June, supported by a boom in technology exports – from artificial intelligence products to robotics – extending the positive momentum seen in previous months and shrugging off geopolitical headwinds. The country’s exports rose by 27 per cent year on year to US$412.39 billion last month, according to Chinese customs data released on Tuesday, beating the 18.5 per cent growth forecast by economists in a poll from financial data provider Wind. Imports...