China’s vast exports in 2024 exceeded its imports on a scale seldom seen anywhere except during or immediately after the two world wars.

China might not be able to rely on trade to steer it out of trouble as blistering tariffs being considered by US President-elect Donald Trump threaten an already struggling economy.

China’s trade surplus hit almost a trillion dollars in 2024, driven by record exports of $3.6 trillion, according to official data. The surplus, which is equivalent to 992.2 billion in US dollars, has sparked concerns about a new wave of global trade tensions,

Only a third of China’s trade surplus was with the United States, and only a third of the U.S. deficit was with China. That makes for tricky math for the president-elect.