China August exports jump 25% on tech and AI demand

China's August goods exports rose 25% in U.S. dollars, CNBC reported, in line with forecasts and up from 23.9% in July. Official figures from China's General Administration of Customs, summarized on english.www.gov.cn on 8 September 2026, put January to August goods trade at 34.78 trillion yuan (about $5.13 trillion), up 17.6% year on year. That is 0.3 percentage point faster than January to July. Exports were 20.17 trillion yuan (+14.6%). Imports were 14.61 trillion yuan (+22%). Yuan growth rates and U.S. dollar growth rates differ.

In August alone, goods trade was 4.65 trillion yuan (+19.8%), a sixth straight month above 4 trillion yuan. Official yuan-side August exports rose 18.6% year on year. Imports rose 21.7%. Both posted double-digit growth for a fourth straight month, and import growth outpaced exports for a sixth successive month.

In dollar terms, CNBC said August imports rose 28.2%, from 27.5% in July. The August trade surplus was $119.09 billion, from $112.5 billion in July. Imports missed the roughly 30% consensus even while accelerating.

Reuters put the surplus for the first eight months at $805.51 billion and said the annual surplus is on track to top $1 trillion for a second year. Shipments to the United States rose 34.4% in August, while US imports into China rose 17.8% and the bilateral surplus was $29.18 billion.

Wires frame the drivers as high-tech, AI, and auto demand. That product mix is secondary coverage, not a breakdown in the Xinhua GACC yuan summary. Domestic demand still looks soft relative to export strength, which is the rebalancing frame CNBC used. A print this large sits next to SK Hynix's $4 billion Indiana HBM packaging plant and the 30-year Treasury yield at a 19-year high.