China creates history, trade surplus of $1.2 trillion despite Trump’s tariff pressure

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China has achieved the largest trade surplus in world history. Last year (2025), the country's trade surplus stood at $1.2 trillion, which is almost 20 percent more than in 2024. Beijing has set such a record under the pressure of US President Donald Trump's tough tariff policy and a long-running trade war.

China, the world's largest manufacturing country, has gradually moved away from the US market and increased exports to emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. As a result, exports to the US, historically China's largest single market, fell by 19.5 percent, but Beijing has been able to maintain overall export growth. And this has caused a major setback for China.

China's customs authorities said exports of photovoltaic products such as electric vehicles (EVs), lithium batteries and solar panels rose 27 percent. At the same time, exports of high-tech products including industrial robots and high-end machinery rose 13 percent.

Wang Jun, deputy administrator of the China Customs Bureau, said that "China has made progress despite a complex and challenging global environment." According to him, strong exports are a testament to China's economic resilience.

Last year, Chinese exports to various regions outside the United States increased significantly. Exports to Africa increased by 26.5 percent, ASEAN countries by 14 percent, the European Union by 9 percent and Latin America by 8 percent.

However, this huge surplus risks escalating global trade tensions. Several countries, including Europe, have complained that the influx of cheap Chinese goods is threatening local industries, jobs and economic security. Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron described the trade imbalance with China as "unsustainable."

Meanwhile, while the new tariffs were reduced to 20 percent in an agreement reached between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last October, Trump's recent announcement - imposing a new 25 percent tariff on countries that trade with Iran - could put China under pressure again.