Chinese exports and imports soared in July, official data showed Friday, as the manufacturing powerhouse benefits from a global AI boom lifting overseas demand for its tech products. The world’s second-largest economy last year achieved a historic trade surplus of nearly US$1.2 trillion, helping its manufacturing sector through a prolonged slump in domestic consumption. Beijing has insisted it never deliberately pursued a trade surplus. The Communist Party’s Politburo — the decision-making body headed by President Xi Jinping — urged a more “balanced” trade development at a key meeting late last month. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026.