logo
China's exports up 4.8% in May as shipments to US fall nearly 10%

China's exports up 4.8% in May as shipments to US fall nearly 10%

Imports declined 3.4 per cent year-on-year, leaving a trade surplus of $103.2 billion
AP Beijing
China's exports rose 4.8 per cent in May from a year earlier, lower than expected as shipments to the United States fell nearly 10 per cent, according to customs figures released on Monday.
Imports declined 3.4 per cent year-on-year, leaving a trade surplus of $103.2 billion.
China exported $28.8 billion to the United States in May, while its imports from the US fell 7.4 per cent to $10.8 billion, the report said.
Trade slowed in May after China's global exports jumped 8.1 per cent in April, even after US President Donald Trump struck a deal with Beijing to delay implementation of stiff tariff hikes to allow time for talks.
The next round of US-China talks was due to take place later Monday in Britain.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

China's rare earth export curbs are India's wake-up call
China's rare earth export curbs are India's wake-up call

Mint

time21 minutes ago

  • Mint

China's rare earth export curbs are India's wake-up call

The US-China trade war has opened a fresh front, now impacting Indian industry in a big way. China's curbs on exports of rare earth magnets—processed from rare earth elements (REEs)—have disrupted supply chains, particularly in the country's automobile sector. The development also underscores why India must urgently reduce its dependence on China by ramping up domestic exploration and refining of its own rare earth reserves. In April, Beijing imposed export restrictions on seven REEs in retaliation for US tariff hikes. Importers were forced to navigate a complex licensing system, triggering delays and shortages worldwide. Indian firms have faced stiffer restrictions than many others, Mint reported last week. China dominates the global rare earths industry, mining 46% of REEs and refining 74% as of 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. These 17 metals are essential for everything from electric vehicles and fighter jets to smartphones and MRI scanners. Given the high costs of extraction, China has built a commanding lead in the sector over decades. India, despite having the world's third-largest rare earth reserves—estimated at 6.9 million metric tonnes—mines only a small portion. The country has remained heavily import-dependent, with China as the primary supplier. India's position This isn't the first time China has used REEs as a geopolitical lever. In 2010, it briefly cut off exports to Japan during a territorial standoff. The latest curbs serve as a timely reminder for India to move faster in securing its access to these critical materials. Some steps have been taken. Under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), launched in January 2025 with a ₹16,300 crore outlay over seven years, REEs have been identified as one of 30 critical minerals. Their production and import have been made a national priority. In March, for the first time, the REE sector was opened to private investment. A Reuters report noted that the government plans to introduce fiscal incentives for domestic production in response to the current disruption. But more must be done. A 2020 Exim Bank working paper identified key gaps. Chief among them is India's limited refining and processing capacity, which has long hamstrung efforts to tap domestic reserves. Greater investment in R&D is also needed to develop alternatives for critical minerals, the report said. India must also look outward—by enabling joint mining ventures and helping Indian firms acquire assets abroad. This strategy has been adopted by countries like the US and Japan. As the global push to reduce Chinese dominance in the sector gathers pace, India could emerge as a viable alternative supplier—though the transition will take time. China's own dominance took nearly two decades to build after it began prioritizing REE development in the 1980s. What next? Demand for rare earths is set to soar as the global economy pivots toward decarbonization and electrification. According to the IEA's Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, demand stood at 91 kilotonnes in 2024 and could nearly double to 178 kilotonnes by 2050. Clean energy will be the main driver, with REE demand from this segment expected to rise from 20% today to over 33% by 2050. 'Growing demand for permanent magnets, particularly from EVs and wind power, boosts the need for magnet rare earths," the IEA report noted. Read this | EV industry, government struggle to find alternatives as China throttles rare earth magnet supply While demand is set to rise sharply, the biggest vulnerability remains China's dominance—and its willingness to weaponize supply chains. Australia is expected to emerge as a key supplier over the next decade. Meanwhile, India and Central Asian nations—including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—have expressed interest in joint exploration of rare earths and other critical minerals. Such efforts may not yield immediate results, but could gradually chip away at China's grip over the global supply.

Reliance and Shein aim to sell India-made clothes abroad within a year
Reliance and Shein aim to sell India-made clothes abroad within a year

Business Standard

time28 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

Reliance and Shein aim to sell India-made clothes abroad within a year

Fashion retailer Shein and partner Reliance Retail plan to rapidly expand their Indian supplier base and start overseas sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months, said two people with knowledge of the matter. The China-founded, Singapore-headquartered e-commerce firm has been discussing plans with the Indian retailer since before the US imposed tariffs on Chinese imports that intensified the need to diversify sourcing, the people said. The aim is to raise Indian suppliers to 1,000 from 150 within a year, they said. In a statement to Reuters, Shein said it licensed its brand for use in India. Reliance did not respond to queries. Shein sells low-priced apparel such as $5 dresses and $10 jeans shipped directly from 7,000 suppliers in China to customers in around 150 countries. Its biggest market is the US where it is adjusting to tariffs on low-value e-commerce packages from China which were previously imported duty free. The retailer launched in India in 2018 but its app was banned in 2020 as part of government action against China-linked firms amid border tension with its northeastern neighbour. It returned in February under a licensing deal with the Reliance Industries unit which launched selling Shein-branded clothes produced in local factories. In contrast, Shein's other websites mainly list goods from China. Reliance, controlled by Asia's richest person, Mukesh Ambani, has contracted 150 garment manufacturers and is in discussion with 400 more, said the two people, declining to be identified due to confidentiality concerns. The goal is 1,000 Indian factories making Shein-branded clothes within a year for both the Indian market and to service some of Shein's global websites, the people said. Shein initially wants to list India-made clothes on its US and British websites, one of the people said. Discussions have been ongoing for months and the launch time of six to 12 months could change depending on supplier numbers, the person said. The scale of supplier expansion and export time frame is reported here for the first time. Shein has licensed its brand for domestic use to Reliance which "is responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, sales and operations in the Indian market," Shein said in a statement. In December, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal told parliament that the Shein-Reliance partnership aimed to create a network of Indian suppliers of Shein-branded clothes for sale "domestically and globally". On-demand manufacturing Shein is a fast-fashion behemoth earning annual revenue of over $30 billion through low prices and aggressive marketing. Most of its products are from China with some made in countries such as Turkey and Brazil. Its expansion in India mirrors interest in the country from the likes of Walmart and others throughout the global fashion and retail industries, particularly those looking for suppliers outside China due to the Sino-US trade war. The Shein India app has been downloaded 2.7 million times across Apple and Google Play stores, averaging 120% on-month growth, showed data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Offerings during its first four months have reached 12,000 designs, a fraction of the 600,000 products on its US site. In the women's dresses category, its cheapest item is priced 349 Indian rupees ($4) versus $3.39 on the US site as of June 9. Shein's Indian partner Reliance, which operates the app, is working with suppliers to assess whether they can replicate Shein's global best-sellers at lower cost, the two people said. Reliance aims to emulate Shein's on-demand manufacturing model, asking suppliers to make as few as 100 pieces per design before increasing production of those that sell well, they said. Executives from Reliance recently visited China to understand Shein's "innovative" supply chain operations, "data driven" design processes and "disruptive" digital marketing, Manish Aziz, assistant vice president Shein India at Reliance Retail, said in a LinkedIn post in which he called Shein's scale and speed "truly incredible". The partnership is one of dozens Reliance has with fashion brands, such as Brooks Brothers and Marks and Spencer. The firm also runs e-commerce site Ajio and its retail network competes with Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart as well as value retailers such as Tata's Zudio. Reliance plans to work with new suppliers to source fabric - especially fabric made using synthetic fibres where India lacks expertise - and import required machinery, the people said. The firm will invest in suppliers and help them grow which in turn will help the Shein-Reliance partnership go global, they said.

Take Five: It's TACO time
Take Five: It's TACO time

Hindustan Times

time42 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Take Five: It's TACO time

June 6 - Uncertainty from Washington's tariff tactics remains rife, but investors realise that whatever U.S. President Donald Trump threatens doesn't tend to last long before he delays or backs down, meaning recent volatility has ebbed. This tendency to U-turn, dubbed the TACO trade - "Trump Always Chickens Out" - has caught on but it's also given investors something to bank on so they can focus on upcoming reads on inflation and trade. Here's a look at what's coming up for world markets from Kevin Buckland in Tokyo, Naomi Rovnick and Amanda Cooper in London and Alden Bentley in New York. 1/ TACOS FOR BREAKFAST The high-voltage volatility that shook markets in April and through May has subsided, with investors becoming accustomed to Trump's on-again-off-again approach to anything from tariffs to personal relationships - the meltdown with erstwhile DOGE chief and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk being the latest. Wall Street's fear-gauge, the VIX index, has slipped back below the 20-line that many view as a watermark. Since Trump became the 47th president on January 20, the index has topped 20 on 47 occasions. In the five months prior to that, it breached that level 18 times. In the last month, there have been just seven days when the VIX has popped above 20, compared with every day from April 2 "Liberation Day" to early May. If anything, the TACO trade is taking some spice out of the market. 2/ INFLATION HIDE AND SEEK Investors are hoping any rise in Wednesday's May consumer inflation report won't be as severe as feared, given Trump's erratic trade tactics. Recent data shows inflation falling close to the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Price pressures in manufacturing and services sectors are picking up, however. A good gauge of markets' long-term inflation view indicates only moderate concern. The inflation breakeven rate on five-year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities suggests investors believe the rate will average less than 0.3 percentage points above the target for the next five years. The Fed's most recent Beige Book showed economic activity is weakening, while costs and prices are rising across the different regions - a combination policymakers do not want to see. Traders expect the Fed to make no rate change at its June 18 meeting. 3/ A RARE DISPUTE Washington and Beijing's trade spat has brought a familiar issue back to the surface. China has a stranglehold on global supply of so-called rare earths, critical ingredients in almost every high-tech device out there, from cars to cruise missiles. When China cuts off supply, everything withers. The auto industry is feeling it. Suzuki suspended production of the Swift subcompact, weeks after Ford did the same for its Explorer SUV. The White House has blasted Beijing for reneging on tariff rollbacks agreed in Geneva last month, but China is doing the same, lambasting the U.S. over revoked student visas and cutting-edge chip curbs. Chinese trade data on Monday will illuminate what's at stake, while inflation figures that day will show if Beijing's efforts to stoke domestic demand are working. U.S. and Chinese officials are due to meet in London on Monday to discuss trade and defuse the high-stakes dispute. 4/ A NICE BALANCE April trade data for the European Union on June 13 could offer a reasonably clean read on where things stood as Trump's on-off tariffs began to roll out. The EU is firmly in the U.S. president's crosshairs. Trump has said more than once the sole purpose of the EU is to "take advantage" of America, on the grounds that his country boasts a $200 billion trade deficit with the bloc in goods alone, making the EU its second-biggest goods trade partner behind China. EU sales of cars, steel, pharmaceuticals and luxury goods and apparel among other things are big business. Trump on May 23 said he would impose a 50% tariff on all EU imports, only to back down two days later by delaying the duties by a month after a "very nice call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 5/ TAX OR OFFEND Britain, often a prime target for bond vigilantes that attack indebted governments for financial mismanagement, has been pushed into these traders' peripheral vision by U.S. budget concerns. The Labour government's first spending review on Wednesday could bring the UK back into the spotlight. Even if finance minister Rachel Reeves manages to slash departmental spending, this will merely highlight how few cost-cutting options she has left, Bank of America says. UK public debt has swelled, leaving Reeves minimal headroom to avoid breaking self-imposed fiscal rules and less able to resist tax hikes. Still, businesses and borrowers still scarred by the gilt market riot after then Prime Minister Liz Truss' 2022 mini-budget may prefer higher taxes if that lowers the odds of bond vigilantes showing up.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store