intensify over trade policies and strategic resources. Official data revealed an 8.3 percent year-on-year rise in global exports for September, reaching 328.5 billion dollars, alongside a 7.4 percent increase in imports despite weakening demand from developed markets.
Shipments to the U.S. declined by 27 percent during the same month, marking the 6th consecutive monthly drop, yet exports to Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa rose sharply. Sales to Africa surged by 56 percent, while deliveries to Southeast Asia and Latin America climbed 15.6 percent and 15 percent, respectively, helping offset losses from the U.S. market.
China is responding to friction with the U.S. after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of 100 percent on Chinese goods and introduce additional export controls targeting sensitive technologies. This was prompted in part by the decision of the Chinese government to tighten restrictions on exports of rare earths and other strategic materials.
The Chinese government has adopted a defiant but restrained tone, declaring that it does not seek a tariff war but will not be intimidated by coercive measures. The Commerce Ministry warned that if the second Trump administration proceeds with obstinate actions, China will have no choice but to use countermeasures to protect its economic interests and strategic industries.
Among those countermeasures are new port fees on U.S. vessels and expanded export controls on high-value inputs such as lithium-ion batteries and rare earth metals. China currently mines around 70 percent of the rare earths in the world and processes nearly 90 percent. This gives it substantial leverage and a competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing supply chains.
The escalating dispute over trade issues has put a planned meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at risk. Both sides are signaling little room to compromise. Chinese officials continue to promote dialogue rather than unilateral tariffs, while Trump has offered only modest conciliatory language without retreating from his demands or deadlines.
Note that the broader danger lies not simply in tariff levels but in sustained disruption to global trade systems involving technology, shipping logistics, and manufacturing inputs. Moreover, although China has diversified its export destinations, its domestic economy remains weighed down by weak domestic consumption and persistent instability in the property sector.