Exports Rise for Third Month Straight: Integrated Circuits and Autos Post Year-on-Year Gains; Rare Earths Soar Over 50% Month‑on‑Month for Two Months

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Key Points

China exports 2025: China’s goods trade kept climbing through August, led by integrated circuits and automobiles, with rare earths posting a dramatic monthly rebound.

 

Quick snapshot — trade keeps growing

The General Administration of Customs (Zhongguo Haiguan Zongshu 中国海关总署) reported that total January–August trade reached ¥29.57 trillion RMB ($4.08 trillion USD).

That figure represents a 3.5% year‑on‑year rise versus the same period last year.

Exports for January–August were ¥17.61 trillion RMB ($2.43 trillion USD), up 6.9% year‑on‑year.

August monthly data show exports of ¥2.30 trillion RMB ($317.2 billion USD), up 4.8% year‑on‑year.

August imports were ¥1.57 trillion RMB ($216.6 billion USD), up 1.7% year‑on‑year.

August marked the third consecutive month that both exports and imports grew year‑on‑year.

(All currency conversions use an exchange rate of ¥7.25 per $1 USD, i.e., ¥1 = $0.1379; conversions rounded to two significant digits.)

 

• Total Trade Value: ¥29.57 trillion RMB ($4.08 trillion USD)
• Year-on-Year Growth: 3.5%
• Total Exports: ¥17.61 trillion RMB ($2.43 trillion USD)
• Exports Year-on-Year Growth: 6.9%

• Monthly Exports: ¥2.30 trillion RMB ($317.2 billion USD)
• Monthly Exports Year-on-Year Growth: 4.8%
• Monthly Imports: ¥1.57 trillion RMB ($216.6 billion USD)
• Monthly Imports Year-on-Year Growth: 1.7%

Why this matters — context for investors, founders, and supply‑chain pros

Three straight months of simultaneous export and import growth suggest external demand is stabilizing while domestic import appetite is recovering.

That combination matters because it signals potential normalization in cross‑border flows after cyclical weakness.

Electromechanical exports remain the backbone of the recovery, which has implications for manufacturers, logistics providers, and component suppliers.

Resource-sensitive rebounds — like the jump in rare earths — also change pricing dynamics for global tech supply chains that rely on these inputs.

 

Electromechanical goods — still the backbone

Electromechanical products (Jidian Chanpin 机电产品) accounted for ¥10.6 trillion RMB ($1.46 trillion USD) of exports through August.

That represents 60.2% of total exports for January–August.

So when electromechanical categories accelerate, they move the entire export figure materially.

 

Sector highlights — August performance (key movers)

• Integrated circuits (Jicheng Dianlu 集成电路): August export value rose 32.78% year‑on‑year.

  Month‑on‑month it dipped slightly by 0.92%.

  Integrated circuits have posted year‑on‑year gains above 20% for five consecutive months, underlining a multi‑month export tailwind for China’s chip supply chain.

• Automobiles (Qiche 汽车): August exports increased 17.31% year‑on‑year.

  Month‑on‑month growth was 8.26%.

  Autos have recorded year‑on‑year growth above 10% for three straight months, signaling sustained outbound momentum for both EVs and ICE vehicles from China.

• Ships/Shipbuilding (Chuanbo 船舶): Exports turned sharply positive in August with 34.95% year‑on‑year growth.

  Month‑on‑month the sector surged 46.80%, reversing prior declines.

  That swing can quickly impact heavy‑industry exporters and ship component suppliers.

• Rare earths (Xitu 稀土): Export value rose 34.66% year‑on‑year in August.

  Month‑on‑month rare earths jumped 51.04%.

  After an upturn in June, rare earths have now recorded two consecutive months of month‑on‑month increases above 50%.

• Fertilizer (Feiliao 肥料): Exports showed a 67.98% year‑on‑year rise in August.

  Month‑on‑month fertilizer exports declined 9.66%.

  That pattern points to lumpy demand or shipment timing effects rather than a steady trend.

• Mobile phones (Shouji 手机) and lighting fixtures (Dengju 灯具): Both categories reported notable year‑on‑year declines in August.

  These drops show that consumer electronics and household goods still face uneven external demand.

 

Interpretation — what to watch next

Watch integrated circuits and autos closely because they are high‑value, export‑heavy categories that will likely dictate headline export trends in the near term.

Rare earths’ big month‑on‑month bounce deserves attention from investors in magnets, EV motors, and supply‑chain risk managers who track strategic materials.

Shipbuilding’s rebound can feed through to heavy‑engineering suppliers and port activity statistics in coming months.

The divergence across subcategories means headline export growth can mask underlying sectoral shifts.

Companies and investors should triangulate customs data with port throughput, new orders, and corporate earnings for a fuller picture.

 

Data notes — the key numbers at a glance

• Total January–August trade: ¥29.57 trillion RMB ($4.08 trillion USD).

• Total January–August exports: ¥17.61 trillion RMB ($2.43 trillion USD).

• August exports: ¥2.30 trillion RMB ($317.2 billion USD).

• August imports: ¥1.57 trillion RMB ($216.6 billion USD).

• Electromechanical product exports (Jan–Aug): ¥10.6 trillion RMB ($1.46 trillion USD), 60.2% of total exports.

 

Linking opportunities & anchor text ideas

• Use anchor text like “China trade data August 2025” linking to customs releases or related posts.

• Use anchor text like “integrated circuits exports” for deep dives on semiconductor supply chains.

• Use anchor text like “rare earths export surge” for materials‑sector analysis or supplier risk pages.

• Use anchor text like “electromechanical exports” to link to manufacturing or logistics case studies.

 

Takeaway for decision‑makers

China’s exports are rising, and the shift is concentrated.

Integrated circuits and automobiles are driving headline gains while rare earths are flashing volatility that could cascade into global supply chains.

For investors, founders, and supply‑chain managers, the key is to pair these customs figures with industry signals and company‑level data to separate transitory spikes from structural shifts.

 

China exports 2025 — monitor integrated circuits, autos, and rare earths if you want to stay ahead of where trade momentum is likely headed.

 

References

• 出口“三连升”！集成电路、汽车同比连增 稀土连续两月环比猛涨超五成 – 东方财富网
• Cailian Press (homepage) – 财联社
• General Administration of Customs (homepage) – 中华人民共和国海关总署

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