China’s trade accelerates in August despite coronavirus

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — China’s import and export growth accelerated in August despite disruptions due to the spread of the coronavirus’s delta variant. Customs data reported Tuesday show exports rose 25.6% to $294.3 billion, up from July’s 18.9% growth. Imports rose 33.1% to $236 billion, up from the previous month’s 28.7%. That came despite lingering disruptions in industrial supply chains due to last year’s global economic shutdown and a renewed rise in infections in the United States and some other markets that have dampened consumer sentiment. China has so far defied forecasts that surging global demand for its goods would level off as anti-disease controls eased and entertainment and other service industries reopened.