The stronger than expected export print, even as growth cooled from June's pace, suggests China's manufacturing base is still finding external demand to lean on despite a soft domestic consumption backdrop and the weakest quarterly GDP growth since late 2022. Imports rose by around 27.5% last month, just shy of forecasts near 28%, and a notable slowdown from June's roughly 36% jump, itself the quickest in five years. The trade surplus came in at around $112 billion, exceeding analyst estimates of roughly $107 billion, while narrowing from about $126 billion in June. A worldwide build-out of AI infrastructure has helped support China's economy through a year of geopolitical shocks, keeping export growth on track even as domestic consumption has stayed subdued. Part of the export strength also reflected Chinese manufacturers racing goods onto US-bound vessels ahead of an anticipated tariff increase.