China’s exports grew faster than expected in April, as overseas buyers moved quickly to secure supplies amid fears that the conflict involving Iran could drive up global energy and transport costs.
Official customs data released on Saturday showed exports rose by 14.1 per cent year on year in dollar terms, accelerating sharply from growth of 2.5 per cent in March.
Imports remained strong, climbing 25.3 per cent in April, pointing to resilient domestic demand for raw materials and components. As a result, China’s trade surplus widened to 84.8 billion dollars, up from 51.1 billion dollars the previous month.
Economists said the figures suggest exporters benefited from a wave of front‑loaded overseas orders, as companies sought to stockpile goods and parts ahead of potential cost increases linked to instability in the Middle East.
Recent factory surveys showed new export orders reached their highest level in two years, highlighting the strength of demand in recent months. However, analysts cautioned that this momentum may not last.
Despite gross domestic product growth of 5 per cent in the first quarter, prolonged geopolitical tensions and higher energy prices could weaken global demand later in the year, adding pressure to China’s already subdued consumer spending.
Attention is also turning to diplomacy, with U.S. President Donald Trump expected to visit China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping.
The discussions are likely to centre on trade relations, as well as cooperation in agriculture and the aviation sector, at a time when global supply chains remain sensitive to political and economic shocks.
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A new multimodal trade corridor through Central Asia is expected to cut cargo transit times between China and Afghanistan from 55 to 30 days, offering an alternative to increasingly unstable maritime shipping routes.
Former Chinese defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu have been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday. The cases highlight the scale of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption purge within China’s military.
A cross-party delegation of British lawmakers is set to visit China in mid-May for the first time since 2019. The trip is positioned as a sign of cautious warming of ties, following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing earlier this year, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
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Asian stocks surged to record highs on 7 May as investors priced in growing hopes of a potential Middle East peace deal, while oil prices eased and the U.S. dollar weakened amid shifting global risk sentiment.
Stocks around the world climbed to fresh record highs on Wednesday (6 May), while oil prices fell sharply, after reports suggested the United States and Iran were nearing an agreement to end conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25% next week, up from the 15% level agreed last year, accusing the bloc of failing to comply with its trade commitments.
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The United Arab Emirates has said it's quitting OPEC from 1 May, dealing a major blow to the oil producers’ group and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, amid disruption caused by the Iran war.
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