China's exports jump 12.4% and imports fell as Trump pushed US tariffs higher

Bangkok | China's exports jumped 12.4 per cent in March from a year earlier as companies rushed to beat increases in US tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the government said Monday.

Imports fell 4.3 per cent, the customs administration reported.

It said exports from the world's second largest economy rose 5.8 per cent in the first three months of the year from a year earlier while imports sank 7 per cent.

China's trade surplus with the United States was $27.6 billion in March as its exports rose 4.5per cent. It logged a surplus of $76.6 billion with the US in the first quarter of the year.

China is facing 145 per cent tariffs on most exports to the United States as of the most recent revisions in Trump's trade policies.

A customs administration spokesperson said China was facing a “complex and severe external situation” but that the sky would not fall. He pointed to China's diversified export options and huge domestic market.