Chinese Exports Give Biggest Growth Boost to Economy Since 1997

China relied on exports to drive economic growth to a degree unseen since the Asian financial crisis nearly three decades ago, in a demonstration of strength that allowed it to ride out the trade war started by Donald Trump.

Net exports of goods and services added almost 33% to last year’s expansion in China’s gross domestic product, Kang Yi, head of the nation’s statistics bureau, said at a press briefing Monday. That was more than two percentage points above the level in 2024 and the highest share since 1997, when it was just over 42%.