China trade economy File photo: VCG
Total China-US tradeexpanded 1.1 percent year-on-year to 1.47 trillion yuan ($203.42 billion) in yuan-denominated terms in the first four months, reversing a 0.7percent contraction in the first three months, customs data showed on Thursday.
The return of growth underscored the resilience and complementarity of trade relations between the world's two largest economies, which will retain a ballast role in the bilateral relationship, observers said. They predicted that more potential could be released this year if the US can check its urge to relentlessly contain China's development.
The surging trade sent a stern warning to certain US politicians and their decoupling push against Chinese exports, either in the guise of smearing "overcapacity" or hyping "de-risking," analysts said. It shows that those politicians' actions - motivated by geopolitical intentions - severely deviate from the interests of the US business community, and only pragmatic cooperation with the Chinese side would lead to win-win results, they noted.
In the first four months, China's exports to the US grew 2.4 percent year-on-year to 1.08 trillion yuan in yuan-denominated terms, while imports edged down 2.5 percent to 387 billion yuan, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.
The US remained China's third-largest trading partner in the first four months, after ASEAN and the EU, according to the Global Times' calculations.
In the first quarter, China's exports to the US gained 2.1 percent, while imports were down 7.7 percent.
Diploma
In April alone, bilateral trade reached 400.3 billion yuan, customs statistics showed, compared with 386.8 billion yuan a year earlier.
Observers said that bilateral trade showed a turnaround between March and April, amid animproving and stabilizing trajectory of bilateral relationships. Exchanges of high-level officials have intensified in recent months.
"It also showed that the Chinese and US economic structures are highly complementary andunderscored the win-win nature of bilateral cooperation," Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Timeson Thursday.
The increasing competitiveness of Chinese quality exports to the US consumer market also showed that Chinese manufacturers have helped the US to mitigatepersistent inflation, analysts added.
Gao said that the rebound also reflected a broad recovery in global demand, which bodes well for China's overall foreign trade this year. In the first four months, China's merchandise trade rose 5.7 percent year-on-year to13.81 trillion yuan.
China-US trade is likely to continue the positive momentum in the coming months and exceed last year's level, taking account of the low base effect and the stronger US dollar, Gao said, though the upcoming US presidential election will mean some uncertainty for bilateral relations.
"The US may regain its position as China's second-largest trading partner this year, depending on how China's trade with the EU develops," Gao said.
China's trade with the EU fell by 1.8 percent to 1.75 trillion yuan in the first four months, which observers said was partly due to the sluggishness in the bloc's economy.
The release of thetrade data came as US politicians ramped up a crackdown against Chinese advantageous industries, using "overcapacity" claims to justify more protectionist measures against Chinese exports.
Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Thursday that the vigorous trade shows that the malicious geopolitical intentions of politicians represent a serious departure from the true interests and trading activities of US businesses.
"The US market did not buy into Washington's decoupling push, and it is eager for more pragmatic cooperation with the Chinese side," Cong noted.
The US reportedly revoked licenses that allowed companies including Intel and Qualcomm to ship chips used for laptops and handsets to Huawei, Reuters reported. Observers said that Chinese companies could have imported more US products if Washington had not imposed so many export restrictions.
周四公布的海关数据显示，今年前四个月，中美贸易总额以人民币计价同比增长了1.1%，达到了1.47万亿元人民币（合2034.2亿美元），扭转了前三个月的0.7%的萎缩趋势。
观察人士表示，这种经济增长的回归突显了世界上最大的两个经济体之间贸易关系的弹性和互补性，这将继续在双边关系中发挥关键作用。他们预测，如果美国能够遏制住对中国发展的冲动，今年可能会释放更多的潜力。
海关数据还显示，今年前四个月，中国对美国出口按人民币计价增长了2.4%，达到1.08万亿元人民币，而进口下降了2.5%，达到3870亿元人民币。
根据《环球时报》的计算，今年前四个月，美国仍然是中国第三大贸易伙伴，仅次于东盟和欧盟。一季度，中国对美国出口增长了2.1%，而进口下降了7.7%。
海关统计显示，仅4月份，双边贸易额就达到了4003亿元人民币，高于去年同期的3868亿元人民币。
观察人士表示，3月至4月，双边贸易出现好转，双边关系轨迹改善和稳定。高层交往的增加和中国优质出口产品对美国消费市场竞争力的提升，也反映了中国制造商在帮助美国缓解持续通货膨胀方面的作用。
中国社会科学院专家高凌云表示：“这也表明中美经济结构具有很强的互补性，凸显了双边合作的共赢本质。”
分析人士补充说，中国优质出口产品对美国消费市场的竞争力不断增强，也表明中国制造商帮助美国缓解了持续的通货膨胀。
高表示，反弹也反映出全球需求的广泛复苏，这对今年中国整体外贸来说是个好兆头。前4个月，我国货物贸易额同比增长了5.7%，达到13.81万亿元人民币。
高表示，考虑到低基数效应和美元走强，未来几个月中美贸易可能会继续保持积极势头，并超过去年的水平，尽管即将举行的美国总统大选将给双边关系带来一些不确定性。
“美国今年可能会重新成为中国第二大贸易伙伴，这取决于中国与欧盟的贸易如何发展，”高说。
今年前四个月，中国与欧盟的贸易额下降了1.8%，至1.75万亿元人民币，观察人士表示，部分原因是欧盟经济低迷。
贸易数据发布之际，美国政界人士加大了对中国优势产业的打击力度，利用“产能过剩”论调为针对中国出口采取更多保护主义措施辩护。
天津财经大学教授丛毅周四对《环球时报》表示，蓬勃的贸易表明政客的恶意地缘政治意图严重背离了美国企业的真实利益和贸易活动。
“美国市场并不认同华盛顿的脱钩举措，渴望与中方开展更务实的合作，”丛指出。
据路透社报道，美国据报道撤销了允许英特尔和高通等公司向华为运送笔记本电脑和手机芯片的许可证。观察人士表示，如果华盛顿没有实施如此多的出口限制，中国企业本可以进口更多美国产品。
